


Corea News: The World's Favorite Young Royals, The King and Queen of Corea

by CoreaStories



Category: King of Eternity, The King: Eternal Monarch, 더 킹：영원의 군주 | The King: Eternal Monarch (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:02:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 30,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24813523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoreaStories/pseuds/CoreaStories
Summary: The compilation of the news coverage about the King and Queen of Corea, upon rising popularity of the mysterious new queen consort.As seen on Tumblr: CoreaStories, #CoreaNews, #CoreaFictionWith images: Best viewed on mobile site/Archive Track Reader. In some chapters, drag the screen to the left to view images in full.
Relationships: Jeong Tae Eul/Lee Gon
Comments: 227
Kudos: 1246





	1. Modern Royals: Meet Jeong Tae-Eul, the mysterious new queen of Corea

  
  


  * Jeong Tae Eul, 30, married the King of Corea in July 2020 
  * The wedding followed Corea’s tradition of privacy for its royal family, with no photos released by the Royal Public Affairs Office 
  * We await the family photo instead, when the royal court publishes an official photograph showing off the royal heir. This photo is then updated into school textbooks across the country. 
  * The new queen has since made appearances, accompanying the king to small events in Corea, mostly in the academic field (the King of Corea’s love for math and sciences is well-documented) and for children’s causes 
  * The engagement shocked the country. Unlike the usual press conferences, the king declared the future queen in one of the capital’s streets, while riding to battle, just before literally cutting down supporters of the country’s most notorious traitor, former Prince Imperial Geum, Lee Lim



## Real-life fairy tales still exist. Everyone around the world is charmed by this queen and her unique origin. She is not a celebrity nor a well-known beauty on campus, catwalk, or television who caught a royal’s eye. She’s a former detective, a lieutenant in Jongno. 

Corea’s Royal Public Affairs Office seems to prefer to let the country and the world speculate the rest. How she met the king, how they fell in love– these are all still shrouded in mystery. 

The engagement was thus “announced” in early April. No further announcements followed until July when Corea rejoiced that their king, 33, was finally getting married. 

> Unlike other current royals his age, the king grew up before the country’s eyes as king, not as prince. In tragic circumstances, he became the youngest reigning monarch of the modern world at age 8, until King Oyo of Uganda was crowned in 1995 at age 3. 

Asked about the palace’s traditionally strict reticence on the wedding, Corean citizens just shrug and say they’re happy to see the king and queen at events instead. 

## Comments about the new queen are consistent. 

## “They look really happy.”   
“She seems very kind and warm.”   
“We don’t really care about her history. The political parties want to dig it up because they want to know whose side she’d be on.” 

The king traditionally reads to children every month, and the queen has since joined him. Members of the media always try to get the kids to ask about the royal couple’s romance, but the king and queen skillfully deflect the questions with entertaining distractions, like what the king cooked for the queen that day, or the queen slowly filling the king’s dressing room with plants. 

The police of Jongno are also tight-lipped about their former colleague. Not a single source can be found among their ranks. The only comment anyone could get is that they’re unanimous in their love for their new queen. 

Speculation points to the king and queen’s whirlwind romance starting last year in October 2019, when the king repeatedly disappeared “in his study,” a common occurrence whenever the king was absorbed in a mathematical problem. 

In retrospect, it’s now apparent these disappearances might have involved the re-investigation– and subsequent capture and execution– of Lee Lim’s followers. Lee Lim, former Prince Imperial Geum, was executed in 1994, the current king’s uncle and half-brother to the previous king, who was murdered in Lee Lim’s attempted coup. 

> (In full discretion, all unofficial press coverage of the Royal Court of Corea is requested to keep discussion of the betrayal in the royal family to a minimum. For more information, please visit the Royal Public Affairs Office website).

The queen being a detective at the time, this is the most plausible theory on the start of the royal romance. 

## Born on May 27, 1990, the queen is 30 years old. 

## In most photos, she doesn’t look a day over 20. Paparazzi and press alike are addicted to capturing that fresh, youthful face, and she looks even younger due to her very casual style. 

  
  


In a rare packet released from the Royal Public Affairs Office, we learn that the queen often chooses pieces from Chanel, Isabel Marant, Andersson Bell, Zimmerman, Ralph Lauren, Time and Uniqlo, among a large variety of designers and brands, at various price points. **  
**

Corean citizens believe that this statement from the palace was to challenge the fashion industry to produce more accessible pieces, and to encourage the youth to aspire for comfort rather than luxury. 

It’s worth noting that Corea, with the 4th highest GDP in the world, is a huge market for haute couture. However, if you walk around the wealthiest neighborhoods and look at the high society photos in the papers, you’ll observe more relaxed, understated elegance as the current style. 

Loose or simply done hair, luxury pieces dressed down with more casual items, minimal jewelry. 

That’s the influence of the queen. With other female royals of the world perpetually in dresses, suits and hats, this author finds the queen of Corea even lovelier. 

We breathlessly await whatever crumbs the Royal Public Affairs Office deigns to give us. 

—————————————–

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted June 12, on the morning of the finale, before the finale. I didn't know what we were getting yet.   
> Product of fear and fantasizing hahahaha.   
> (Watermark on collages: old Tumblr lurker username before this fandom yanked me in).


	2. Modern Royals: A glimpse into the private residence of the king and queen of Corea

  


  * The royal palace consists of several tightly guarded private residences and administrative buildings accessible to the members of parliament, the PM, and the public.
  * The prime minister submits reports in person to the king’s study in the main palace
  * Gwangyeongjeon is the king and queen’s private residence within the palace
  * Select few have access to–and even accurate knowledge of– Gwangyeongjeon
  * The king’s private study in Gwangyeongjon is a marvel of three floors of chalkboards and shelves filled with books and historical scrolls and artifacts
  * The Royal Public Affairs Office released these never-before-seen photographs “at HM The Queen’s pleasure” 



An official statement from the Royal Court says cosmetic improvements are being done to the king’s private study and these photos are as much a record of what it once was as a glimpse of the king and queen’s lives behind the gates of the palace. 

  


The improvements are new furnishings the king wants for the queen. Palace staff are notoriously tight-lipped about what goes on in the royal household, but after the [Q&A for the upcoming Queens Day](https://coreastories.tumblr.com/post/620800668077277184/with-syndicated-excerpts-from-corean-inquirer-and) in September, Corean media have learned to listen to Jang Mi-reuk, the Queen’s Unbreakable Sword. 

At some point, in some way, a correspondent from the tabloid _Corean Sun_ managed to interview Mr. Jang. 

## Mr. Jang said, **“That place is too dark, too somber, and too… male for the queen. It needs feminine touches. The queen has her own study, but the king doesn’t want her all the way over there when they have that huge room and they definitely share it. The queen prefers it herself over her other rooms. It’s good for security, too. When they’re not somewhere in the country or somewhere in the grounds, they spend most of the day there.”**

This author has taken the tour of the royal palace, which included a look at the king’s study. Unlike that huge chamber with all the pomp and prestige of the king’s position as head of state, the private study is intimate, with only one sitting area, no conference table, no flags. 

  


Yes, we can definitely see the king and queen spending their days here. We love all those dark woods, but new furniture, carpets and draperies would definitely brighten up the space for the queen– and perhaps for future little princes and princesses!

## Unless we’re mistaken, that’s a photograph of the queen prominent on the king’s desk. 

Stay tuned for more. The Royal Public Affairs Office is on a roll. 

#CoreaNews #CoreaFiction 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeong will probably castrate Jangmi. And Lady Noh is getting in line. Tae-eul to the rescue. 
> 
> Poor Jangmi. That correspondent is a guy who also likes face balms. They bonded over an underrated but really awesome snail gel in a skincare store near Busan Station. 
> 
> Images from @kimdonga912 on Instagram


	3. Modern Royals: Queens Day Q&A about the queen of Corea

**With syndicated excerpts from Corean Inquirer and the Corea Timesⓒ**

  * Corea celebrates Queens Day annually on September 9 
  * All eyes the world over are trained on the kingdom’s young new queen, former detective Jeong Tae Eul
  * Speculation is rampant on whether the Queen is in a delicate condition. Clues might be seen through the security and catering protocols in the upcoming celebrations
  * In a shocking move that has the Queen’s characteristic stamp of irreverent impishness and modernity all over it, the Royal Public Affairs Office released an open call for submissions of questions people want answered about the Queen. **(But don’t get too excited, as you’ll see below).**



Corea has a long tradition of celebrating the Day of Queens on September 9th, the most auspicious date in the kingdom. 

The first Queens Day was held by HM The Queen Tae-Ra, who wanted to honor the Queen Mother and the Queen Dowager for their contribution to the country’s stability in the conflict with Japan in 1592. 400 years later and the tradition continues.

The palace opens its doors to the public on Queens Day. The people can pay their respects to the queen, or queens, in residence. You’ve read that correctly. Unlike other royal families, the Royal Court of Corea keeps no dower house. As many as three to four queens can be alive and in residence in the main palace, counting generations rather than the multiple wives/consorts of the polygamy periods. 

It seems implausible that nearly 500 years of queens never came into conflict, but this seems to be the truth as far as the Royal Public Affairs Office and the archives kept by the media would reveal. 

**At present, there is only one queen. The king’s mother died in 1990. His wife is the current and only queen of the kingdom, and it’s the first Queens Day in 30 years that Corea has a queen enthroned.**

The palace gates open and festivities start September 2nd, lasting the week through until the grand feast on September 9th, when 999 lucky children will dine with the queen.

## The Q&A

## With resignation, Corean media– and the rest of the world, including this author– learned that the queen forwarded the questions for her Unbreakable Sword, Jang Mi-reuk, to answer. 

  * Coreans can’t and don’t complain: After all, the call of submissions never stated that the Queen herself will answer the questions. 
  * **Majority of the press and the citizens find this move amusing.**
  * As for us, we’ll take what we can get. **We are absolutely delighted at the candor and lack of censorship in the Q &A, directly transcribed from audio. **
  * **Jang Mi-reuk, 27** , started the rigorous and highly selective training with Royal Guards in 2016, rising in the ranks and emerging the best trainee in all fields, excelling in both close range combat and long-range weaponry. 
  * In 2020, his strength and abilities made him the Queen’s Unbreakable Sword, the life title given to the king’s and queen’s personal defender. 
  * Traditionally, the Unbreakable Sword is close to the king’s or queen’s age, a confidant as much as a bodyguard. Appointment is at the discretion of the king and queen, a personal choice without any influence or veto from the Court or Parliament.



  
  
  


  * **The king’s Unbreakable Sword is Jo Yeong** , famous in Corea in his own right for his dashing good looks. (Rumors abound that Jo Yeong is dating Myeong Seung-ah, one of the daughters of the old-money Myeong family, and working in the Royal Public Affairs Office). 



This author has seen both Unbreakable Swords from a short distance, and they are both intimidating. You wouldn’t want to cross either of them. 

## HM The Queen sends her warm greetings and thanks to everyone who sent their questions. The Palace carefully reviewed them all. HM The Queen assures everyone that all your questions and wishes have been received and will be addressed sooner or later. 

## HM The Queen wishes you all a Happy Queens Day, and thanks her Unbreakable Sword Jang Mi-reuk for his service in this task. 

**Q. Is HM expecting?**

A. It’s not my place to answer that either way. 

**Q. What is HM’s favorite food?**

A. I’m not aware. She asks me to get tteokbokki often, but sometimes this is a ruse to lose me, and I don’t fall for it after that one time, and she has a whole herd of us now. Good luck losing us. 

**Q. What is HM’s favorite music?**

A. Is this a test? I don’t know. She’s tone deaf. 

**Q. How did the king and queen meet?**

A. They’ve already met when I met Her Majesty. I’m not aware. I think it’s romantic. It’s one of my fondest wishes to know the story myself. 

**Q. What is HM’s favorite color?**

A. I’m not aware. Neutrals. Her Majesty wears a lot of neutrals. It’s a good choice. It becomes her, especially cream and ivory shades of white.

**Q. What is HM’s favorite scent?**

A. I’m not aware. If you mean the scent she wears, it’s very subtle citrus, florals, herbs and woods scents. She appreciates lavender in the car, too. We both like it. 

**Q. What is HM’s shoe size?**

A. This is ridiculous. I think it’s 7 or 8. Her feet are small for her height, which is why she prefers sturdy shoes. Her Majesty does wear heels from time to time. It makes her legs and ankles look really nice. His Majesty and I agree she shouldn’t wear very high heels. It’s not safe. And Her Majesty likes to run around. 

**Q. Does HM call the king an endearment?**

A. I. Am. Not. Aware. But I’ll get back to you if I hear them use one. It’s sweet, isn’t it? 

**Q. Does HM miss being a detective?**

A. She does. I… I won’t elaborate on this. 

**Q. What does HM think of PM Koo? Are they really friends?**

A. As far as I’m aware, Her Majesty and Her Excellency are on good terms. Sometimes they argue about the kingdom in the car. But nothing malicious. Mostly it’s the prime minister making acerbic remarks about the queen’s outfits. She thinks Her Majesty should dress better so _she_ can dress better, too. *laughter 

**Q. How many children does HM want to have?**

A. I am not aware. I think they should have four. That’s a nice number. No one will feel left out. Two sets of close friendships between the siblings. That always happens. I’m one of three and I’m left out. Their Majesties should start soon though. 

**Q. Where did HM live before becoming queen?**

A. Seoul, of course. You know she worked in Jongno-gu. She lived there. 

**Q. Does HM truly love the king?**

A. Wow, I’m glad the queen doesn’t have to answer crap questions like this. She loves him. He loves her. It makes the others uncomfortable when they’re together. We take 10 steps back but we can see them. Sometimes when the queen is in a temper, we hear them, too. *laughter

**Q. Does HM ever have fights with the king?**

A. Not really. Just normal squabbles. The queen doesn’t have tolerance for bullsh–. Pardon me. I don’t mean to imply that His Majesty ever says bullsh–. Forgive me. Are you sure you’re deleting that? This gesture means I want you to delete it. I’m not just fanning my neck with my hand. Delete it. 

**Q. How and where do Their Majesties date?**

A. I want the answer to that myself. I think they sneak out. Wait. Delete that. Hey. That compromises security. (Editor’s Note: We’ve confirmed with the Royal Court and the Royal Public Affairs Office that this is safe to publish, and the **Royal Court assures the public that the king and queen are always safe)**.

**Q. Does HM have advice for other female detectives, or female professionals in general?**

A. Well, this question should have gone to the queen. I’ve worked long enough with Her Majesty to confidently say she would advise women to never back down from what they believe to be right and just. 

——————————————————————————————-

## I think Jang Michael/Jang Mi-reuk is adorable. This is a guy unafraid of what society would consider “feminine” sensibilities. I love him. 😆

If you have questions you think the public of Corea would wanna know, send them in and I’ll pass them on to Jangmi lol 

And yep, I made Tae-ra a queen too haha. 

In case you’re wondering, it’s the Corea Times/Corean Inquirer excerpts when they refer to the queen as HM or HM The Queen. It’s the Daily Mail everywhere else. 


	4. Modern Royals: The protocol of touch

  * Corea, the bastion of wealth and science in Asia, is currently headed by not one but _two_ powerful women. 
  * Prime Minister Koo Seo-Ryeong, 38, was first invested in 2015, and re-elected for another term just this month
  * The queen, 30, still in her first year of marriage, joins her in leadership of their prosperous country
  * [The queen](https://panyang86.tumblr.com/post/620686223671001088/modern-royals-meet-tae-eul-the-mysterious-new) is a taekwondo black belt, a former detective widely accepted to have helped the king capture the last of the traitor’s followers, and never a pushover, whether it’s about national policy or her fashion choices 
  * The prime minister came from humble beginnings– her mother still maintains a market stall. She won scholarships in prestigious schools and universities in Corea, and won elections one after another, quickly rising through the political ranks to her current position, and always winning over the people of Corea with her steadfast championing of the citizens
  * The juicy tidbit: She was romantically linked to the king pretty much until the announcement of the engagement to the queen, and never hid the fact that _she_ wanted to be queen. 



## Is there tension between the queen and the prime minister? 

The Royal Public Affairs Office and the Office of the Prime Minister have never made a statement for this question. 

The prime minister is among the very few guests of the private royal wedding, but she made no comment aside from her office’s felicitations. 

Likewise, the queen was present when the king reinvested the prime minister, and had issued her own official congratulations. 

Aside from that, there are no interactions, not in public. 

The media of Corea are quick to note that the queen and prime minister never seemed to attend the same events. If the queen doesn’t attend–something rare at this point, with the royal couple joined at the hip, to the nation’s glee– the prime minister does. 

Another side note is the prime minister doesn’t stay long, and certainly doesn’t stay by the king’s side as was her wont in the past. There are no more photographs of the king and prime minister in close proximity. 

Whether this is tact on both sides or a dictate of royal protocol now that the king is married, Corea and the rest of the world can only speculate. 

When the royals and the prime minister do greet each other, however, there seems to be genuine mutual friendship and understanding. According to Corean media, this is in fact a new development, because the king has never been more than civil in his previous interactions with his prime minister. 

Coreans say that the king is just too happy with his new queen to be grumpy with anyone. Apparently, the politicians also think so. 

  * See this page for actual attempts of the Jinsun Party to take advantage of the king’s honeymoon period
  * Attempts the Prime Minister promptly squashed 
  * The Jinsun Party is the Prime Minister’s former party. When she ran for re-election, she was independent



## The powerhouse of Corea

Last week, at the inauguration of the NanoStem Institute of Corea, everyone finally got their question answered. 

**There is no tension between the queen and the prime minister.**

The king is in Sweden, and it was up to the two ladies in power to provide the prestige to the opening of the new institute for nanotechnology and stem cell research. Not that the institute needs any more prestige. It will pioneer scientific advances in these niches for all Asia, with a focus on dreaded disease reversal, already funded in trillions by Corea and the G8, and headed by no fewer than three Nobel prize-winners. 

> See this page for our coverage of the NanoStem Institute of Corea

According to organizers, the queen and prime minister were _not_ at one table in the palace-vetted seating plan. Sit together they did, however, and seemed to have a tete-a-tete throughout the afternoon. 

At the close of the program, Corean media was delightfully stupefied as queen and prime minister stood together for the first time in public. 

Royal protocol dictates you don’t touch the queen unless she offers her hand first. And so, when the queen actually puts her arms around you, you have no choice but to return the gesture. 

We love the smiles on their faces. 

This is a powerful friendship we can’t wait to see unfold. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because we all have feelings about how PM Koo was treated. 
> 
> I think she’s awesome. Badass. She and Tae Eul would have gotten on so well. 
> 
> She was human. She was seething at Gon’s repeated rejection. She was seething at the easiness of his power and position. She had ambition to have that same easiness by being queen. That doesn’t make her evil. 
> 
> She wasn’t. So I’m really unhappy they turned her into a corrupt loser. Just nope. In my previous theorizing posts, I always thought Lee Lim taken out of the picture would mean PM Koo is uncorrupted by his evil. 
> 
> She didn’t deserve the punishment she got. 


	5. Modern Royals: 7 times the queen of Corea stole our hearts with her smile

# Modern Royals: 7 times the queen of Corea stole our hearts with her smile

  * The queen is 30 years old, the second youngest queen consort of the modern world, next to Queen Jetsun of Bhutan, also 30 (the queen of Corea is older than Queen Jetsun by 1 week!)
  * Corean media is tightly reined by the Royal Court, or perhaps they are simply too loyal and too in love with their young monarchs to do any dedicated or defiant digging
  * The Royal Public Affairs Office of Corea knows what it’s doing, or perhaps they don’t? Depending on their intentions, by keeping their queen shrouded in mystery, they’re just stoking our curiosity about her! 
  * The queen’s influence can be seen in the recent releases from the Royal Public Affairs Office, however, which includes a Q&A about the queen (comically answered by her Unbreakable Sword), and never-before-seen photos of the private study in Gwangyeongjeon, the king and queen’s private residence. 



> This photo was widely syndicated alongside the Queens Day Q&A. We believe it’s part of a suite of portraits, because we now have the photo we glimpsed on the king’s desk in their private study! 

> The queen is wearing the same clothes, the same hairstyle, and the same smile. Dare we say perhaps the king was behind the camera? This author loves the sweetness of her face. 

> It’s not within the typical conventions of beauty, but beautiful just the same. 

> One of the first photos of the _young_ queen, taken at her first public appearance with the king, when they opened the new digital diagnostics wing of the Pyeongyang Children’s Hospital. 

> This author can just imagine that nose scrunch charming the king to fall head over heels in love. Here, the queen was laughingly acknowledging the loud cheers of the audience, media, and hospital staff. 

> Also released with the Queens Day Q&A packet, here’s the queen in a very casual setting and quite a sweet pose with her Unbreakable Sword, Jang Mi-reuk. 

> The friendship between them is palpable. We’ve heard a similar bond exists between the king and his own Unbreakable Sword, Jo Yeong. 

> Don’t let appearances deceive you– the giant bear in the pink jacket can break your neck in one fast maneuver, or sever your brain stem with a single bullet from far, far away.

> One of the rare photos of the queen wearing substantial jewelry. We’ve asked around and it seems to be a bespoke piece from the royal treasury, although Chanel has a very similar design.

> According to rumors, the paparazzo who took this photo has not been heard from since– not in the sense that he disappeared, but his work certainly did. And not a single Corean press agency will name him or admit knowing him.

> This might be due to the fact that this photo was taken at the royal stables, a breach of privacy and security that the Royal Court and the Royal Guards will not tolerate and see repeated. 

> Also according to rumors, the palace staffer linked to the paparazzo was found and dismissed faster than you can say “good shot.” 

> And it IS a good shot. The Royal Public Affairs Office apparently agrees, since the photo has remained online. 

> That is such a sweet smile and we can only imagine what the queen was looking at so lovingly. Hmm. Or perhaps that’s the sweet smile of someone with a precious, joyful secret? 

More photos await as we approach Queens Day! 


	6. Royals Spotted: Is that the king and queen of Corea?!

# Royals Spotted: Is that the king and queen of Corea?

  * **Very casual and incognito (well, as much as they can hope to be), adorable in matching coats, one from Burberry, the other from Bottega Veneta**
  * The king’s hair is not in its trademark style, but there’s no hiding those charming faces behind sunglasses, not when the whole world is riveted with this new and unique royal romance
  * **Unfortunately, the Royal Public Affairs Office of Corea is terrifyingly efficient in cleaning up photos/videos they don’t like, for security or protocol**
  * These photos are the only ones that remain 
  * **Taken in South Island, New Zealand: the queen’s photo when she exited the Christchurch Airport ahead of the king, and the king’s photo when he approached their car, with the queen already inside the vehicle**
  * **With preparations underway for Queens Day, it’s only natural that the king and queen might go away for a breather.**
  * **Their private study is also undergoing improvements**
  * **Interesting to note that the PM Koo Seo-Ryeong is also in Wellington, NZ for a meeting with The Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand**
  * Will this trip include a meeting between friends? 
  * We hope not, or PM Koo would be a gooseberry, unless she brought her own person. 
  * **Speculation on the queen’s condition is still hot, hot, hot: delicate or not, that shirt is very loose, and those trousers are very stretchy**



More to come. And we hope the Royal Public Affairs Office would let us have some crumbs! 

#CoreaNews #CoreaFiction

\------

Not sure if Gon's coat is indeed Bottega-- lemme know if you know


	7. Royals Spotted: The Queen's Unbreakable Sword Has Insta!

# Royals Spotted: The Unbreakable Sword has Insta!

  * Queen’s Unbreakable Sword Jang Mi-reuk has (well, had) an Instagram and while it’s mostly filled with a musclehead’s usual posts of gym equipment and protein and green shakes, Mr Jang also has a following for his reviews of skin care products
  * This author was heartily amused by that. Mr Jang, you and I share a love for COSRX 
  * Ding, ding, ding! Two of the carousels in Mr Jang’s Instagram held Easter eggs! 
  * To be fair, only someone with an obsession would have found these, deeply buried in Mr Jang’s posts about weights, the gun range, carb loading with Corea’s various mouthwatering noodles, and various skin care products
  * This author’s assistant happens to possess that healthy amount of obsession, enough to have found Mr Jang’s Instagram in the first place, and trawling through all of it next
  * The reward is gratifying
  * These Easter eggs are none other than photos of the king and queen of Corea! 
  * We are sorry to inform you that as of this writing, Mr Jang’s Instagram has disappeared. This author is truly sorry, because Mr Jang was about to review the latest from Clinique. 



We don’t want to be blacklisted from Corea’s press relations, especially not with the Queens Day and other deliciousness so tantalizingly close, so we reached out to the Royal Public Affairs Office for permission to post these photos. 

Exactly 12 hours later, we received a response. Yes, we are allowed to publish the photos at no profit (this page has no ads, as you can see), and yes, it will have no consequences. 

For us, that is. From their track record, the Royal Public Affairs Office can be vindictive, so this author made absolutely certain that publishing these won’t provoke their ire. 

Whether there will be consequences for Mr Jang remains to be seen. We hope they won’t be too hard on him. He’s a sweetheart, really. Never mind that he can crush this author in one hand. 

> According to the Royal Public Affairs Office, this intimate photo was taken on the birthday of Head Court Lady Noh. Mr Jang had no caption for this, only several heart and bouquet emojis. 

We love seeing this royal couple in casual wear! Especially against the backdrop of the luxurious furnishings in their private residence. Swoon.

And the king’s arm around the queen. In a world of royals who won’t touch in public. That’s double swoon.

The head court lady serves the king and queen directly. From what crumbs we managed to extract from Coreans, the head court lady pretty much runs the palace. 

But more than the equivalent of a royal butler, this particular head court lady holds more weight: she also raised the king. 

Most palace staff positions are inherited or strictly vetted by the royal family, the noble families, and their own servants. This is how they keep their circle of trust. Head Court Lady Noh belongs to that very private circle. We have nothing else about her, despite this author’s assistant’s tenacious search. 

We did unearth something juicy. 

Apparently, there was an incident with a local hoity-toity shaman in Busan, who boasted that the Head Court Lady Noh bowed to her! 

Note that bowing in Corean means a more restrained equivalent of practically prostrating yourself to the ground. You touch your forehead and palms to the floor. 

We can’t find the shaman for comment. According to the bakery next door, the shaman has moved to the northern region. As you’ve read this author mention before, the palace is terrifyingly efficient. 

> This very recent photo was taken in New Zealand. Mr Jang’s caption was: 

> **“Just settled in. Waiting for food delivery (and testing). Very tense. At least she hadn’t tied her hair yet. But HM is starting to get panicky.”**

> Then there were five laughing emojis, and ten cold sweat emojis. 

The Royal Public Affairs Office didn’t illuminate this funny caption. Does the queen tying her hair signify something scary? 

And aren’t they just adorable here? 

#CoreaNews #CoreaFiction

Photo edit from @kge.global on Instagram (”When you remember there are no more TKEM episodes,” lolol this fandom is delicious) 


	8. Royal Scandal! The king and queen's utter besottedness with each other LEAKED

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because the Ep 16 BTS destroyed me.

  


  * Someone has been very, very naughty in New Zealand!
  * And we don’t mean Their Sweet Majesties. No, we mean the paparazzo whose spycam somehow made it past the very thorough security check of the Corean Royal Guard
  * This author is both delighted at the fruit of this labor, and feeling dreadful on behalf of that paparazzo
  * They will be found. And that might be the end of their career if the Royal Public Affairs Office can make it happen
  * And they can and they will– Corea isn’t the 4th richest country of the world for nothing



These photos have already circulated and will forever be out of reach, saved in private devices, so this is not an exclusive. This author is just making sure we don’t report it last. We hope the Royal Public Affairs Office understands that. 

## Is it really them? Yes. Still in their matching coats, I see. 

With today’s technology, grainy photos are virtually impossible unless you’re a complete imbecile. 

This is very recognizably the king and queen of Corea, getting cozy upon arrival at their hotel. 

## And despite the sensational title of this article, this author concedes that this is hardly a scandal. 

Compared to the putrid shenanigans other royalty have unluckily been caught in, this kiss is innocent, sweet, and simply splendid. 

**This is just a man and his wife. They happen to be young, royal and beautiful, so we all care!**

Enjoy, dear reader. This author certainly did.

  
  
  


We can’t get enough of this royal couple. 

Best wishes, Your Majesties. Be blessed in your endeavors. Wink wink. 

#CoreaNews #CoreaFiction


	9. A Royal Twin! Meet the Most Honorable Lady Seo-gyeong

  * **As if there isn’t enough mystery and revelations about the Queen of Corea, we’re suddenly seeing double!**
  * In a stunning media packet, the Royal Public Affairs Office released never-before-seen photos and reveals the reason behind the king and queen’s trip to New Zealand



> What difference is even there?!   
> Right, the queen in her law enforcement days. Left, the Lady Seo-gyeong, Interpol agent of Corea in New Zealand

  * Koo Seo-gyeong was adopted at age 8 by the Koo family
  * She’s 8 years the junior of the current prime minister of Corea
  * As revealed by a DNA test, she’s the biological twin of the Jeong Tae-eul, now the Queen of Corea



Their separation at birth is anyone’s guess. The statements from the Royal Court and the Office of the Prime Minister only focus on “God’s blessing, HM The Queen’s present joy.”

No wonder the Queen and the Prime Minister are now BFFs. This author would have loved to be a fly on the wall when the Prime Minister told the queen that she (the queen) is practically the doppelganger of her sister! 

## Who is Lady Seo-gyeong? 

Lady Seo-gyeong, 30, is a policewoman, like the queen. She has been working with the Corean and Kiwi Interpol since 2016, with annual visits to her home country. Her connections to the prime minister, elected in 2015, no doubt helped her application to the elite agents of Interpol. 

> Not that she doesn’t have talent and skill in her own right– the Haeundae Station was sad to see her go. 
> 
> In the photo: The Lady Seo-gyeong with the Violent Crimes Squad of Haeundae Station

True to Corean tradition of humility (and privacy), this author was told we can’t dig up her accomplishments and publish them. We see the sense in that– we don’t want the Interpol’s targets to know what’s coming! 

## She and the queen never met before? 

Apparently not. The queen reportedly worked in Jongno, three to five hours away from Haeundae. 

Nothing more was revealed about this. 

This author suspects undercover work and/or top secret status, which would explain why the police higher ups never uttered a peep that they had TWO policewomen of the same face. 

## Her title

Her title was personally conferred by the king– no ceremonies in this case, apparently– and now announced by the Royal Court. 

  * It’s a courtesy title, similar to the lordships and ladyships we use for children of the nobility, used to address her or in reference to her in all documents within and in connection with the Kingdom of Corea. 
  * In New Zealand and elsewhere, she is Koo Seo-gyeong (Westernized: Seo-gyeong Koo). 
  * Upon marriage, she retains the title: Lady Seo-gyeong -Husband’s Surname-



## Is she married? 

The police are just as tight-lipped about the Lady Seo-gyeong as with the queen, but in this case we did find some juicy tidbits: the Lady Seo-gyeong is in a relationship with Kang Hyeon-min, who was with her in Haeundae and also with her now in New Zealand. 

## Twins are auspicious 

From interviews with Coreans, this author has gathered that the citizens are shocked but happy. 

This country pioneers technology in science and health, but they have deep ties with tradition and folklore, and according to that tradition, twins are lucky, so that’s another point toward their beloved queen and her new sister. 

As if that wasn’t enough, 8-8 is also an auspicious number (next only to 9-9, which is dedicated to their Day of Queens). 

**This is only this author’s opinion, but this approval from the kingdom and the royal connection might prove advantageous for PM Koo if she pursues another term.**

The people love their king and queen, and in Corea, the voice of the people is valued to an extent that an official can keep running for term and keep getting reelected if the people wish it and the king sanctions it. 

**And while we _would_ want a fresh leadership for Corea, it just happens that Koo Seo-ryeong is an effective leader recognized worldwide. **

(Think of the good mayors and presidents we could have kept in power!)

(And this author is tickled at the queen and the prime minister at the helm together for more years to come!)

## Is Lady Seo-gyeong staying in New Zealand or coming home? 

Unfortunately, it seems like we won’t be treated to the sight of a queen and her double walking around Corea. 

The Lady Seo-gyeong will stay in New Zealand. According the Royal Public Affairs Office, she has permanent residency and has an established career with the Wellington Interpol. 

In this author’s opinion, I would choose New Zealand, too. Isn’t it a bit much if you come home where one sister is prime minister and the other is queen?! 

But from her statement, the Lady Seo-gyeong is simply dedicated to her work. 

## Statement from the Lady Seo-gyeong

**“Honestly, I’m still digesting it all. But the queen and my sister– both my sisters– are helping me take it in. I hope we can spend more time together soon. I wish we didn’t all have demanding work.**

**“I was really stunned but also really touched that the king and queen came to me rather than summoning me. I’m really happy to have met Their Majesties, and I think the queen is a lovely person.**

**“She would be, if we shared genes! I wish Their Majesties the best.”  
**

She sounds lovely. This author is charmed. And I bet all the men are bemoaning the fact that both twins are taken! 

> In full disclosure, this author has been warned about not disturbing the peace of the Lady Seo-gyeong’s workplace and residence. 
> 
> As a member of the royal family, Lady Seo-gyeong has the protection of the Royal Guard, although she won’t be aware of it herself. 
> 
> Let this serve as this author passing the warning to her fellow members of the media. 

## Statement from the palace

**The Royal Court is pleased to announce the conferment of most honorable title to Lady Seo-gyeong, Koo Seo-gyeong, with all the grace and protection of the Majesty of the Reigning House and the Royal Court of Corea.**

**The Lady Seo-gyeong is God’s blessing, Her Majesty The Queen’s present joy.**

**The Royal Court wishes the honorable lady a million blessings and a thousand good fortunes.**

> This is translated from the Corean formal language. The packet already came to us in English, so this author doesn’t know how “Lady” translates in their beautiful tongue. 

According to Coreans, this is usually not done. Historically, the parents of queens get a courtesy title, but not their siblings. This is probably the king protecting the queen and her sister. 

With “all the grace and protection of the Majesty of the Reigning House” turns out to be a subtle warning that this lady is untouchable. 

Does the king still have enemies? 

The mystery of the coup is still just that, a closely guarded mystery. Lee Lim’s followers have been decimated, but the king is not leaving them any avenues to use his loved ones against him. 

## Statement from the Office of the Prime Minister of Corea

**To Her Majesty the Queen, the Reigning House and the Royal Court, Her Excellency the Prime Minister is happy to assure her unwavering support where it applies to the ties of the blood between Her Majesty the Queen and the Lady Seo-gyeong, and the conferment of honorable title and royal grace to the Lady Seo-gyeong.**

**A DNA test confirmed the gene match between Her Majesty The Queen and the Lady Seo-gyeong.**

**To Her Majesty the Queen and the Lady Seo-gyeong, Her Excellency humbly offers a thousand felicitations on their newfound sisterhood.**

> The Lady Seo-gyeong at her most casual. She and the queen apparently have that in common, among others. 

All this family drama aside, this author was struck by **“present joy.”**

So is there future joy? 

My instincts are right: according to Coreans, one can’t claim the joy of a baby until the baby is actually wailing in your arms with a healthy pair of lungs! 

**So much to look forward to. Queens Day– and perhaps another joyful announcement?**

__________________________________________________________

I had to crop Jangmi from the police group pic because he belongs to Tae-eul lolol

**“God’s blessing” means so much more, as you guys probably suspect.**

The plot thickens! But not really. I’m keeping it all simple. 

This Corea News piece is a direct companion to a fan fic that will tie up all this: Tae-eul staying in Corea, the police being on her side, and PM Koo being a noona instead of a rival. Coming soon! 

**I hope you guys are still there with the crazy! :)**

**#CoreaNews #CoreaFiction #KooSistersYassss**


	10. Royal Exclusive: The King of Corea bares his heart in a flash interview

  * Their Majesties stunned us by dropping by without notice. The menacing SUVs and luxury sedan seemed to roll in out of nowhere
  * While we were all holding our breaths disbelieving the impossible, the king and queen themselves stepped out of the car, shook hands with us like they weren’t royalty, and announced an exclusive interview, if we’d have them 
  * Oh wouldn’t we! 
  * They picked the perfect day for it: our office was absolutely empty because we were moving
  * This author bemoans the complete lack of furniture for Their Majesties
  * My staff wondered if this was intentional and a part of security measures
  * If we had furniture, the arrival of Their Majesties would have been delayed; the Royal Guard would have done an initial sweep of every nook and cranny first 
  * As such, in our empty office, Their Majesties were in and out in 30 minutes
  * It was glorious to interview the royal couple. 
  * This author did have to scream in the powder room for a minute before composure returned
  * The king’s chair in the photo: We had three of these portable chairs left in the back room
  * Making everyone’s hearts flutter, **_the king took one look at the chairs and the queen was not allowed to sit in it_**. **Too unstable**
  * Instead, the queen’s Unbreakable Sword Jang Mi-reuk fashioned a seat for the queen in the corner of the studio
  * I swear the entire office shivered with glee, dear reader. The king is just breathtakingly adorable in his protectiveness of the queen. 
  * **_And all that that implies!_**



This is an interview with the king. While the queen was also present, she didn’t participate. She only listened and sort of melted in her makeshift seat whenever the king made the sweetest, most adorable answers. 

We saw her trying valiantly to stay stoic, almost looking annoyed, but at some point gave up and gave our photographer the chance to snap this sweet photo. 

This author can’t blame her! **  
**

**This was obviously a calculated–and very smart–move on the part of the Royal Court and Royal Public Affairs Office, to deflect the interest on the newly-revealed Lady Seo-gyeong, the queen’s identical twin sister.****

And indeed, this will be all everyone will talk about for weeks to come. 

Without further ado, here’s my interview with His Majesty, the King of Corea. 

## Q. How did you and Her Majesty meet? 

**I was violating traffic laws. She handcuffed me and took me to the station.**

> This author is stunned again.

## Q. This was in Seoul? 

**Yes.**

> I’m afraid this author decided to move onward with more delicious details in case our time was cut short, dear reader. But handcuffing in Seoul is already enough to fuel your imagination, isn’t it? 

## Q. Are you truly friends with the Prime Minister now? 

**The Prime Minister is an excellent leader, an excellent person, and I’m glad of her growing friendship with the queen.**

> I wanted to ask if the Prime Minister still flirts with him, but this author is not a columnist for nothing, dear reader. I’ve been trained to be observant. And my observant eyes noted Captain Jo Yeong and pretty much all the Royal Guard glaring at me. So I removed my questions about the the king’s history–or lack of– with the PM. 

> I must say that I also have the highest regard for Her Excellency. 

## Q. How do Your Majesties start the day? 

**Hmm. Shower. Cooking. Breakfast.**

## Q. And how do Your Majesties end the evenings? 

**(with an amused face) _Shower. Cooking. Dinner._**

## Q. What are Your Majesties favorite foods? Let’s narrow that to meat dishes. 

**I like fried chicken. Her Majesty likes a variety of dishes and is only opinionated about her drinks.**

## Q. Yes? What is Her Majesty’s favorite drink? 

**Soju and beer.**

> As far as this author could remember from all events and public appearances, there was no soju and beer ever seen in the queen’s hand. Then again, perhaps the queen doesn’t drink in public. 

## Q. Your Majesty, we do need to ask, are we expecting a royal prince or princess of Corea? 

**We are told not to confirm nor deny that.**

## Q. Oh no? 

**You’ll know anyway.**

> Indeed we would! 

## Q. Why doesn’t Her Majesty wear wedding and engagement rings? 

**She doesn’t wear them in public. It’s too ingrained in her to keep her hands clear and ready to punch someone.**

> The queen snorted at this. Indelicately. 

## Q. Are Your Majesties safe now? Are there still threats from the traitor’s followers? 

**Thankfully none at present and hopefully none in the future. We’ve been blessed in that regard, too.**

## Q. Yes? Can you elaborate on this blessing? 

**We were blessed by God to meet and stay together. God made sure our paths would cross and stay intertwined.**

## Q. That is very cryptic, Your Majesty. Can you say more? 

**He made her my zero. I was trapped in a square root and she helped me escape.**

> Well, that was just more cryptic, wasn’t it? 

## Q. Say the first thing that comes to mind: what do you love most about the queen? 

**Her smile and her spirit.**

> _Swoon._

## Q. And what does Her Majesty love about you? 

**Ahh. Well, you’ll have to ask her that. She has told me I know how to joke in difficult situations and that’s why everyone in the palace loves me. She reluctantly told me this, so I assume she loves that about me, too.**

> This author has the feeling the king diplomatically gave that answer so the queen doesn’t combust in her seat. She was very red in the face. 
> 
> I sense an inside joke or reference only the king and queen would know about. 

## Q. What is something you adore about the queen, something we won’t see or notice at all because we don’t live with her, but something we can watch out for in her public appearances? 

**(The king looked at the queen and seemed to assess his answer for several moments.) She often misses her coat pockets. It takes her three to four tries to find it.*****

> At this point I had to fight very hard not to make any undignified noises. We all miss our pockets, but it’s adorable that the king watches his queen so closely and finds this little thing adorable. 

## Q. In Mr Jang’s Instagram photo of Your Majesties, he said something about you getting panicky– this was connected to you and the queen waiting for food, I believe. Can you tell us about that?**** 

**Not much to tell. The queen is terrifying when she’s hungry.**

> We very quickly offered Her Majesty refreshments, but she assured us she was fine, shooting a, well, adorable glare at the king. 

How many times has this author used the word adorable in this article? I’m still out of breath. They are adorable. 

We asked if the queen can also answer a few questions, but that was the end of the interview. 

Apparently the king is protective of the queen to an extent that she was to be shielded from potentially wobbly chairs and questions from chroniclers like myself, even in the presence of scary, fully armed Unbreakable Swords and members of the Royal Guard with ultra-fast reflexes. 

We look forward to the Queens Day when they’ve promised press meetings. 

———————————-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to readers who sent this in! Lol  
> Tae-eul trying to find her pocket: https://twitter.com/sulhongsh/status/1271995804085964801?s=21


	11. Royal Exclusive: Their Majesties are sweet as cake and you need strong tea for this

  * Bad news: There’s been a breach in the palace IT 
  * Very good news: The breach has been resolved, and we’re in for a treat
  * Today’s edition was delayed because of special circumstances 
  * Several days ago, we received a dubious tip about a leaked video chat between the king and queen. We received image files and a transcript
  * This author isn’t an idiot, so we opened nothing, reformatted our entire fleet of devices, and sent the entire package to the Royal Public Affairs Office
  * Blissful reward! Today, the Royal Public Affairs Office sent the package back, giving us exclusive rights and thanking us for alerting them to the security breach
  * Once again, this author had to scream in the powder room
  * As you can see, dear reader, the queen is using a laptop. Somehow, somewhere, the laptop had been infected/hacked 
  * We hope this was the only breach into Her Majesty’s privacy
  * This author thinks so anyway, because what you’re about to read is indeed a transcript of a video chat between the king and queen
  * And we know they’ve only been parted **_once_** so far, when the king went to Sweden (See: Modern Royals: The protocol of touch) 



Perhaps the deflection of attention from Lady Seo-gyeong continues. 

Or, perhaps the palace is deflecting our attention from something precious by feeding us delectable crumbs. 

In the king’s recent, also exclusive interview, this author asked him what the queen loves about him. And this author noted that the queen blushed to the roots of her hair while the king gave a rather too smooth answer. 

You’re about to see why. 

And I must say, this is such a delicious glimpse into the queen’s personality. No wonder the king is absolutely smitten. 

Without further ado, enjoy! 

> **HM The King: “Why are you still up? You should be sleeping.”  
> **
> 
> **HM The Queen: “I don’t know. I can’t sleep.”**
> 
> **HM The King: “Maybe you miss me?”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “Don’t be silly. You just left.”**
> 
> **HM The King: “I miss you.”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “Have you eaten?”**
> 
> **HM The King: “Yes. What did you have for dinner? Who cooked?”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “…”**
> 
> **HM The King: “Jeong Tae-eul. Did you make Jang-mi cook something forbidden?”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “No.”**
> 
> **HM The King: “Jeong Tae-eul– you–”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “I went to the bank today.”**
> 
> **HM The King: “What?”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “I was taking a walk and–”**
> 
> **HM The King: “You were taking a walk? Where?”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “Let me finish. An old lady asked me to help her check her balance.”**
> 
> **HM The King: “Oh. At an ATM?”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “So I pushed her over.”**

##  **HM The Queen: “I melted Jang-mi’s multi balm. I added rainbow glitter and put it back in. He finally put some on today. He can’t understand why the kids at the reading kept giggling at him.”**

> **HM The King: *still laughing***
> 
> **HM The Queen: “I do miss you. This is irritating.”  
> **
> 
> **HM The King: “I’ll be back the day after tomorrow.”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “But you said it will take five days.”**
> 
> **HM The King: “I’m the king of Corea and I’m meeting the King and the Crown Princess of Sweden– between the three of us, we can arrange things to suit.”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “Wouldn’t that be troublesome for some people?”**
> 
> **HM The King: “I don’t care. I’ll be back with you the day after tomorrow.”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “Saranghae.”**
> 
> **HM The King: “My goodness. And what do you love about me?”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “I’m really shallow.”**
> 
> **HM The King: “Go ahead.”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “Well, I know you’re vain enough about your eyes so I’ll go for your dimples. I’m going to kiss them when you get back.”**

> **HM The King: “What else?”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “Your hair. I think you style it longer than I do mine.”**
> 
> **HM The King: “That is just well-placed mousse, woman. What else?”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “The way you eat. You bite into food like a kid. You want fried chicken on Friday?”**
> 
> **HM The King: “Sure. What else?”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “You always wrap me in your coat or robe.”**
> 
> **HM The King: “Put on a robe right now. You’re not cold?”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “I miss you so much.”**
> 
> **HM The King: “I miss you so much, too. I’ll be back as soon as I’m able. Saranghae. Go to sleep.”**
> 
> **HM The Queen: “No.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully it didn’t make your teeth fall out. Not all of them anyway.   
> I needed fluff because it’s Friday and we have no new episode. T.T 
> 
> Also major gooey feels for me, flashback to Episode 12′s “I missed you, I missed you, I missed you.”


	12. Love in the Royal Kitchen: A scrumptious glimpse into Their Majesties' routine + a juicy reveal?!

  * Queen’s Unbreakable Sword Jang Mi-reuk might have deactivated his Instagram, but he’s a big softie for his mother
  * And his mother…simply didn’t fathom that we can’t all share her giddiness at the king and queen’s sweetness 
  * Mr Jang sent this sweet photo to his mother, and his mother sent it to everyone she knew. It went viral in all five continents in five minutes. I exaggerate. But not by much. 
  * We are really ever so grateful to Mr Jang
  * Mr Jang, you are a hero 
  * And your mother, too, of course



> Can anything be sweeter? Look at their hands touching. Their smiles matching. Heads together. I swoon.

Getting blacklisted is the last thing we want, so once again, this author went on the side of caution and reached out to the Royal Public Affairs Office for sanction and comment before publication.

The Royal Public Affairs Office and the Royal Court must be commended for their increasing leniency on the coverage about the royal house these days. Not only did we get approval, but also a quite convivial order to get in touch with Mr Jang for more information.

Once again, this author screamed in the powder room. But no time to melt to pieces. We immediately reached out to Mr Jang for the interview and I think we got to him first.

This is another transcript (Would we get more and more of these, I wonder?). We very well can’t go to Mr Jang, nor ask him to appear at the office, because he’s on duty protecting the queen.

## Author: Hello, Mr Jang, can you please elaborate on the photo?

**Jang: Hello. Well, my mother said she was feeling ill and she was getting old and should really be getting grandchildren, so I took a photo of Their Majesties and sent it to her. I had permission. Their Majesties and Captain Jo allowed it. I didn’t expect my mother would… add hearts and spread it. I thought she understood the confidentiality of what I do. I thought she didn't know much about SNS.**

## A: *chuckling* Yes, sir, the whole kingdom is currently in love with your mother. But please tell us about the photo.

**J: It’s the king and queen in their kitchen. The queen loves to eat, the king loves to cook for her. That’s pretty much it.**

## A: Thank you, Mr Jang. Is this breakfast, lunch, dinner? The lighting doesn’t say much.

**J: Breakfast.**

## A: Thank you. And does the queen cook, too?

**J: She tried once and the king told me and Captain Jo not to let it happen again.**

## A: Why?

**J: She almost burned the place down, she burned the fish,** _**and** _ **burned her hand too. How could you even burn fish? Fish practically tells you when it’s done.**

## A: *giggling* Thank you so much, Mr Jang. Sir, in the photograph, why are Their Majesties’ foreheads touching?

**J: Ahh. That is sweet, actually. The queen wasn’t feeling well and she was grumpy about it, so the king told her to come closer, and touched his forehead to hers. It’s something His Majesty does when his hands are busy.**

## A: *swooning* The king seems to be laughing?

**J: Because the queen said she’s going to punch him.**

## A: *giggling* Did she?

**No. Not this time.**

## A: And who are they smiling at?

**J: Lady Noh had just come in with the queen’s ginger honey lemon tea.**

## A: Ginger honey lemon tea.

**J: Er, yeah.**

## A: Hmm.

**J: Er, yeah. I have a photo of the actual forehead kiss. I’m sending it over.**

## A: That’s splendid, Mr Jang! A “forehead kiss!” I’m melting. Are you often with Their Majesties when they prepare breakfast?

**J: Captain Jo is there as well. And often Lady Noh. Sometimes Myeong Seung-ah as well. Their Majesties invite us to eat with them regularly. Not everyday. They’re newlyweds and they’re disgusting. But the queen says it’s good for us. Er, can you please cut what I just said? About them being newlyweds and--**

## A: *cackling gleefully* I’m afraid I must adhere to certain tenets of full disclosure in this case, Mr Jang. Don’t worry, you didn’t say anything wrong. Myeong Seung-ah, of the Myeong family, of the Royal Public Affairs Office, said to be in a relationship with Captain Jo?

**J: Yes. They still think it’s their big secret. It’s funny.**

## A: Really? It is. What do Their Majesties usually eat for breakfast?

**J: I can’t tell you that. It’s a security protocol. Are you sure you can’t cut what I just said--**

## A: What usually comes next after breakfast?

**J: Well, they get dressed and Secretary Mo briefs them of the day’s schedule. Sometimes they take their long walks in the grounds, and sometimes they join us in the training grounds.**

## A: Truly?

**J: Er, yeah. The king and queen aren’t easy targets. *chuckling* They have us and they can also deal a lot of damage themselves. Let that be a warning to anyone with plans.**

## A: That’s splendid. Can you tell us more about how exactly they deal damage?

**J: Well, you know the queen’s a black belt in taekwondo. She also practices karate and Krav Maga. The queen is also a crack shot. She can shoot and permanently disable a moving target. As for the king, he knows how to use guns and that sword of his.**

## A: Wow. Do they ever get competitive? They can both use guns-- do they compete at target shooting?

**J: *snorts* It’s a good thing we have plenty of bullets.**

## A: And you’re a crack shot too, aren’t you, Mr Jang?

**J: All of us have to be.**

## A: But I hear you were the best trainee the Royal Guard has ever seen.

**J: That can’t be true, though I did break some records.**

## A: That’s amazing, Mr Jang. And please know that we appreciate you being the shield of the queen.

**J: Thank you.**

## A: Is the tea for Her Majesty’s morning sickness?

**J: *chuckling* Nice try.**

## A: Thank you so much for your time, Mr Jang. I hope we chat again soon!

**J: God forbid.**

And here’s the bonus photo we got from Mr Jang in his hopes that we don’t discuss the _ginger honey lemon tea._

The queen does look as if she’s not feeling well there. Hmm. 

And oh, Mr Jang, you are so precious. 

#CoreaNews #CoreaFiction

* * *

Image source: The Swoon on YouTube. 


	13. Own A Royal Flat! The king and queen of Corea in an adorable photoshoot for a cause

# Own a Royal Flat! The king and queen of Corea in an adorable photoshoot for a cause

  * Brace yourselves. Royalty aren’t exactly strangers to using their prestige for worthy causes
  * Now the king and queen of Corea are making our knees weak AND they stand to donate more than three billion dollars to the United Nations World Food Program to boot
  * We had no idea, but of course it makes perfect sense that the king owns property in Seoul
  * Seoul, the government seat of the kingdom, is in the hands of the PM and parliament 
  * The king stays in Busan, the cultural capital and the premiere defense line of the country 
  * Even for duties of government, the government goes to the king, not the other way around
  * So His Majesty never really has need for a house in Seoul
  * But he has one (perhaps plenty)… and now the king and queen are selling it
  * **And with the combination of the queen’s modern sensibilities and the detectable impishness of the Royal Public Affairs Office in consistently feeding us entire dessert buffets of the royal romance, they’re selling the unit by auction, and driving up interest through a simple but tantalizing photoshoot!**



## Be patient and stick with me-- the press has been given strict outlines from the Royal Public Affairs Office to discuss the auction first. 

If you have billions of won in disposable wealth, get your assets together and you _just might_ acquire the royal penthouse unit in Brent Hills. 

Brent Hills is a well-known luxury residence tower in Cheongdam-dong, home to celebrities and chaebol heirs who want the guaranteed privacy and security of the building. Each floor of the 21-story tower only has 2 units. 

## And apparently, unknown to all, the penthouse belongs to the king. 

The celebrities should be thankful of the Royal Court’s discretion. Otherwise, all their units would have been sold to them for much, much higher prices! 

Now we understand that the property and real estate management have signed non-disclosure agreements, and new contracts are also in place for price protection so that this news wouldn’t affect future lessees or buyers of the tower units. 

## For the royal penthouse, it’s another matter entirely. The auction will be held a fortnight from now. The bidding will start at 8 billion won ($6.5 million), eight being an auspicious number, and also actually a more than reasonable price for a penthouse apartment with a balcony and an undisclosed but certainly vast square footage. 

Note that each unit at Brent Hills has about 2088 square feet. Two units of the same size would comprise the size of the penthouse. _Swoon._

The king and queen will match the winning bid, and the entire caboodle will join the royal couple’s pledged $3 billion donation to the World Food Programme, which is calling for help to end hunger in war-torn Middle East. 

(This author understands that the king and queen-- easily worth quintillions from the rare-earth elements alone-- can donate more if they wanted, but they also can’t. This is tact. They can’t be seen throwing away billions and billions. Not that they don’t already do that. The king has built world-renowned hospitals with his own money-- and continues to do so). 

## Bidders will be pre-qualified via donations to a select list of charities benefiting children, women, LGBTQ, various dreaded disease research, and the environment. 

So, to even bid for the royal penthouse, you had to have already allocated your money on something worthwhile. This author can’t help admiring the brilliance of all this. 

Back in 2014, the most expensive apartment ever sold in the kingdom went for 6.5 billion won. With the low inflation of Corea, the royal penthouse stands to become the next record-holder for the most expensive apartment sold. And for a very good cause. 

**Kudos, Your Majesties.**

## Now, we can get to the juicy bits. Feast your eyes on these photos!

## Tasteful and sweet, these photos show the king and queen apparently enjoying the morning in their soon-to-be-auctioned Brent Hills penthouse. 

## Here’s the queen in her recognizable casual queenliness, reading the contract, and modeling the apartment’s parquet floors and white walls and splendid, plentiful natural light. 

## And finally, you can glimpse the rattan furniture in the apartment’s master bedroom balcony here. 

## But I bet you don’t see that at all, do you? 

Don’t worry, it took me about half an hour to notice, too. 

**These photos are now in print, framed, and will come with the penthouse.**

And as if that weren’t enough, your neighbors will include actor Gong Shin, who posted this sweet photo of the queen in his Instagram only last night. 

I think the whole kingdom thought it was fake! You can imagine this author’s screaming glee when everything was explained with this morning’s packet from the Royal Public Affairs Office! 

> _“Her Majesty is a sweet, wonderful person.”_

I wonder if he wanted to caption the photo differently. And I wonder if he was quietly warned by the king with one of those withering Don’t-touch-my-queen glares of his. 

If only I was a billionaire. 

And yes, we’ve confirmed that the drink at the table is iced herbal tea. 

* * *

#CoreaNews #CoreaFiction

  * Happy birthday, Lee Min Ho. I love that photo, and I found a “matching” one of the queen’s! 
  * Inspired by the news that LMH and Hyun Bin are neighbors in Mark Hills
  * But here I made the neighbor Gong Yoo, okay, and he’s Gong Shin in Corea. I crack myself up 
  * Photo manip of the king and queen in bed: from @mineunph on Instagram (Not really sure who made the edit-- I’ve seen it around). It’s too delicious and too well-made to leave alone 
  * Talk to me-- are you still there and still want more of this?
  * How’s your TKEM hangover doing? XD 




	14. Royal Love Triangle? Gong Shin will buy your house and touch your queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gong Yoo/Kim Shin "Gong Shin" is in Corea and broke royal protocol.

# Royal Triangle? Gong Shin will buy your house and touch your queen

  * Gong Shin, world-renowned Corean actor and philanthropist, 40, and soon probably persona non grata in his own country, just bought the royal penthouse in Brent Hills
  * I exaggerate– the king isn’t petty like that, and he has spoken about admiring Gong Shin
  * **But Gong Shin touched the queen** and this author can’t help making ridiculous commentary
  * The royal penthouse, if you recall, was sold in auction for the benefit of the World Food Programme
  * Gong Shin had the winning bid, a cool 50 billion won (oh my gods) or $41 million
  * **Coreans are wealthy bastards– forgive me, I’m just jealous**
  * The bidding started at 8 billion won and incrementally went up to 4 times that amount (36 billion) when a bid came in for 50 billion
  * And the auction ended right there, ladies and gentlemen
  * The king and queen, as promised, matched the amount and added it to their pledged $3 billion donation, and now the World Food Programme is 3 billion and 82 million dollars richer.
  * However, Coreans “rounded off” that amount to 4 billion dollars through the kingdom’s National Interior Revenue
  * This author is a little light-headed at all these billions and millions
  * As required, Gong Shin pre-qualified to the auction through donations to Greenpeace and several foundations and research organizations for multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, and childhood and adolescent leukemia



The handover of the property and keys were public. We knew this. The purpose was for awareness so that Coreans can make more donations to worthy causes. Several foundations had booths at the venue.

## The king and queen attended. We DID NOT know this. The screams were deafening, and it’s a testament to the popularity of this royal couple that their people cheered more loudly for them than for the absolute hunk, Gong Shin.

## Of course, the king can always give Gong Shin a run for his money.

And not in auction, I mean.

There was a very short program so that the focus is on charitable organizations. The keys were handed over by the property management executives. And then the queen surprised us by going on stage and delivering a short message.

It was amazing how fast the crowd hushed when they saw she was about to speak. This author had goosebumps. These people love their queen.

## “Hello. His Majesty and I are happy to see you here, and we’re very thankful and proud of you for helping the World Food Programme. We hope you continue to help where needed. Let’s do our part every day to make this world even the tiniest bit better.”

Then she made that characteristic chin tuck and the crowd roared.

Now that the queen was on-stage, members of the media raised their cameras hopefully, but without making demands.

The queen gratified us all by posing for photographs. Well, she didn’t do much but allow us to capture her standing there. So gorgeous in her simplicity and loose, flowing hair.

I’m not crazy about that dress. It’s Valentino but it’s awful. No matter, the queen more than made up for it with her sweet face.

## And then the scandal of the evening, dear reader.

##  **Gong Shin broke protocol and touched the queen.**

**He seemed to remember himself and immediately removed his hand and arm, but it was still already too late.**

Gong Shin bowed to the queen, to the king, and then tried to salvage the situation with his own innate charm.

The queen brushed it off.

The organizers nervously changed the subject.

And all of us looked at the king.

He’s king, of course, the master of diplomacy.

## But everyone can tell that he is NOT happy.

Oh dear, oh dear.

A similar breach of protocol happened before, but that was the queen actually hugging the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister simply responding. 

This is different. 

The Royal Public Affairs Office, with its dignity flying high, didn’t respond to our requests for comment about this incident. Of course that’s a statement in itself. This is nothing. 

I never really expected for life to be so interesting when I was assigned to Corea, but I’m so in love with my life here, dear readers.

**Stay tuned for updates! For now, we can let our imaginations work.**

I hope Gong Shin is all right. The people are _not_ happy.

_**Editor’s Note: After publication, this office received news of Gong Shin’s official statement.** _

## “I sincerely apologize to Their Majesties for the breach of protocol. Her Majesty was too kind and generous in assuring me I’m forgiven. I have also received a very generous note from the palace, from His Majesty the King, telling me I have no reason to be anxious.

## “I am thankful, and I only hope the people of Corea forgive me, too, and sympathize with how I was too dazzled by the queen to remember what I can’t and shouldn’t do. I’m afraid I’m used to making these simple gestures with my co-stars or co-hosts. It was a momentary and silly lapse when I was with _the queen_ , and I’m truly sorry and hugely embarrassed.”

**Awwwwww. Corea, you should absolutely forgive this adorable man.**

I think someone has just declared his crush in public. Again, awwww.

* * *

Chapter Title from "will steal yo wife" memes lol 

Let me know what you think! 

#goblin references for giggles

#gong yoo kim shin making trouble in Corea 


	15. Royal Panic: The queen was lost--and found-- in Seoul

# Royal Panic: The Queen was lost--and found-- in Seoul

  * With the preparations for Queens Day at peak, it’s no wonder the queen might want to get away. And that apparently included her Unbreakable Sword and her team. Poor Mr Jang. 
  * Or did she miss the king, who had gone to Seoul for the day for the opening of parliament? 
  * The queen wasn’t completely alone-- she was accompanied by Myeong Seung-ah, of the Royal Public Affairs Office
  * Ms Myeong is the one who finally tipped the Royal Guard about the queen’s whereabouts
  * This author will bet gold bullion she gave the tip to Jo Yeong, the king’s Unbreakable Sword, captain of the Royal Guard and Ms Myeong’s reported flame 



## At around 10pm last night, the Seoul skyline was cut by three very official looking helicopters flying side by side. A few minutes later, a horde of assault vehicles thundered past in the almost-empty streets, and military armored SUVs and vans also rolled to or from somewhere. 

## A few minutes after that, there was a whine of a jet engine overhead and we were stunned in our beds by the whistle and pop of warning shots. Harmless but still menacing. 

Of course, I was immediately curious, but when I called them, our press office thought it was perhaps part of the security starting to manifest for Queens Day 

(No matter, dear reader, I didn’t accept that answer, so I have the juicy scoop for you!). 

**Now we know these were actually the Corean Armed Forces making their presence felt in all its might so that anyone stupid enough to have done the unthinkable would piss themselves in fear and surrender.**

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, according to the Royal Public Affairs Office, the Royal Guard and the Corean Armed Forces have a protocol in place that should any of the royal family go missing, all forces are mobilized immediately, whether or not a threat was confirmed. 

We have reports from other cities that they all experienced the same demonstration from the Armed Forces, with confirmed reports of the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines lighting up the coast. 

Oh, my heart is all aflutter. This country is too wealthy and too dramatic sometimes. 

## The queen is safe

From the packet of the Royal Public Affairs Office, the queen had complained of a headache and retired to her room in the afternoon. She was undisturbed until palace staff checked on her to ask if she wouldn’t have dinner. The king wasn’t home, and the queen hadn’t gone to their kitchen to fix herself anything. 

When she was nowhere to be found in the palace and the grounds, and unreachable with her phone left behind in her bed, well, this author can only imagine the two Unbreakable Swords breaking sweat and summoning the armed forces of Corea for backup. 

## The king found the queen

After getting the location from Ms Myeong, it was also relayed to the king, who beat everyone else in getting to the queen. 

Here’s an exclusive account from the chicken place owner (because we also beat everyone else in getting to him), who asked that we not mention his name and his business, even though this would have shot his sales to the stratosphere. 

Asked to tell us what happened from the queen’s arrival to the king’s subsequent arrival, our source said:

> “I didn’t know it was the queen. I should have known. But it was very late-- why would I expect the queen to come for chicken at that time of night? Her Majesty ordered banban. The queen and that other woman ate. Then sometime after that, His Majesty arrived and he looked like he ran out of his hotel-- His Majesty didn’t even have a coat on. That’s when it clicked that that was the queen I just served. Because His Majesty looked at her like he-- uh--wanted to kiss her and uh--lock her up.” 

Awww, soyuja-nim is a romantic. 

The reunion between king and queen was private, unfortunately. According to the chicken place owner, he can’t tell us anything more. The king and queen soon left, but he saw them spend a bit of time by the water.

That’s Misa Lake Park. 

As you can clearly see here in the photo released by the Royal Public Affairs Office. 

> **These two are so adorable. Seeing those smiles, you wouldn’t think they’d just mobilized the Corean Armed Forces. The king does look less happy.**

We do wonder what happened. Surely the palace can serve banban!

Stay tuned, darlings.

\----------------------—-------—---------

## This was the chicken place idea from an anon lol 😂🍗

This is my headcanon for Lee Gon riding in with the armed forces and an actual honest-to-goodness cavalry on Episode 11-12. Not that he can’t command them to come, I made it actual protocol. After all, that was the future Queen of Corea. Swoon.

Btw, the cavalry unit is part of the Royal Guard. As much as I wanted a repeat of the cavalry riding, they did get the confirmation from Seung-ah, so they didn't actually have to get mounted this time. 😂

Companion fic to follow. 


	16. Royal Twinkle: The king and queen of Corea have a sweet secret, don't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read these first for maximum enjoyment:  
> \- Three Hours for Chicken  
> \- Seo-ryeong vs Lady Noh  
> \- Part 5 of Days and Nights of Forever: The Thirteenth Rule

# Royal Twinkle: The king and queen of Corea have a sweet secret, don’t they?

  * Preparations for Queens Day are almost finished
  * The weather is simply splendid-- the summer temperatures have gone down giving way to the first cool and crisp days and nights of autumn in Corea
  * This author has been informed that Queens Day will have very few photographs
  * The entire festival will have very little media coverage. It’s meant to be enjoyed by the people of Corea, and only the people of Corea
  * As such, there will be photos, but they will be exclusively distributed to local press, for local release only, for the enjoyment of Coreans 
  * Likewise, broadcast will be local and strictly guarded from piracy
  * Worry not, dear readers, this author will see what she can do, with sanction from the Royal Public Affairs Office, of course



I am very much in love with the Royal Public Affairs Office. They invited my team to enter the palace to witness some of the preparations. We were there early in the morning. 

The palace is a sensory explosion right now. It was overwhelming. 

But let’s be honest, none of you are interested in the million flowers rolling in by the truckloads, the mountains of food ingredients in hundreds of freezer trucks, or the pyrotechnics already starting to boom sporadically in the skies of Busan. 

No, we don’t care about that. All we want to hear about is the king and queen. 

While in the palace grounds, my team and I were lucky enough to catch glimpses of them. 

Here’s the king taking a walk looking very… happy. 

We asked where the queen was. From Mr Jang’s interview, we know she and the king take long walks together. We were told the queen starts her day helping with the preparations in the late afternoon. 

But wasn’t she a morning person? The palace staff we were talking to smiled politely and left. _Well_. 

So we waited until the afternoon. And huzzah! We came upon the queen in one of the great big marquees in the grounds. We were told she was approving the gifts for her dinner’s 999 lucky children here. 

My photographer was able to snap this lucky shot before Mr Jang caught my eye and I quickly pulled my team out of there. 

She looks so beautiful. I’m sure my dear readers know how much I admire the queen. 

## And is this author only delusional or do Their Majesties look incandescently happy? 

## They’ve always been happy. But there’s something different right now. Dear reader, you know all the hints and crumbs we’ve been given. We’re just waiting for the official word. And trust me, I’m with you in your impatience! 

Before our day at the palace ended, we ran into the king. Don’t believe how dignified that sounds here on paper, this author was squealing inside. 

His Majesty remembers this humble author as the one who interviewed him, and he was very gracious in his greetings. 

We asked him if he had recovered from the queen’s sudden trip to Seoul and His Majesty laughed such a delicious laugh that this author felt her ovaries imitate the fireworks in the sky. 

We asked if he had any news to tell us, and His Majesty only laughed again and wished us a good night. _Well_. 

And then his wish for us came true. It was our lucky, lucky night, wasn’t it, because we also ran into the queen. 

Her Majesty seemed to be having a breather, with only Mr Jang visible nearby. (Not that we thought for a second that it was only Mr Jang around us). We didn’t disturb the queen, but she greeted us herself-- oh these sweet, sweet royals-- and asked if we’d enjoyed the day. 

Oh yes, we had. 

This author asked her politely if she was in good health, and if she had her own supply of Seoul chicken by now? 

That made Her Majesty blush and giggle. She bid us a good night and said she hoped we’d come to the festival. 

Absolutely nothing can keep this author away! 

As we climbed into our van, we saw the king arrive and steer the queen toward the palace. 

The Royal Guard closed in around them at a close distance so we didn’t bother to take photos, but the sweetness of the king taking the queen’s hand and putting both their hands in his coat pocket would sustain me while we wait for the official announcement of what’s behind that twinkle in their eyes. 


	17. The Royal Guard: Elite and formidable and just as soft for their king and queen

  * Leading up to Queens Day, the Royal Public Affairs Office gave us an exclusive that made this author scream in the powder room again
  * We were invited to the palace to interview none other than the most elite of the Royal Guard, the ones who surround Their Majesties the King and Queen
  * As part of the preparations for Queens Day, the king and queen are now cocooned in their private residence, giving the members of the Royal Guard a much-needed respite before the mayhem of the public being admitted in and around the palace grounds
  * Apparently the Royal Public Affairs Office had been planning an interview with the Royal Guard for some time, and they chose us to take it on! 



  


> In the photo: The eight King’s Guard of the Royal Guard. Elite of the elite. Engineering and science degree graduates. Deadly in tactics, weaponry and close range combat. You do NOT want to mess with this team. 

We spoke with Park In-Young, the only female member of the Royal Guard, Seok Ho-pil, Sub-captain, and of course Jang Mi-reuk, the Queen’s Unbreakable Sword, whom we are all so fond of. 

We publish the transcript here for your enjoyment, dear reader. 

**Author** : Hello, ma’am, sirs. Thank you for giving me your precious time. I’m very honored. 

**Seok Ho-pil:** Sure. How are you? 

**Park In-young:** Yeah. Let’s just keep it short.

##  **Author:** So, we’ll get right to it. I won’t keep you. Who is the easier to guard, the king or queen? 

**Park In-young:** The king. 

**Seok Ho-pil:** The king. 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** Come on. She’s not that bad. 

***pause as PIY and SHP stare at Jang***

##  **Author:** Why is that? 

**Park In-young:** The queen is unpredictable. She often goes around with this one here, or without him. 

**Seok Ho-pil:** She doesn’t seem to know how tiny she is. She worries me. She’s really really petite. You’ve seen her. 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** *laughs* She’s never punched you before, has she? She can hit you just right on the jaw and knock you out. 

**Seok Ho-pil:** Well, yeah, but still. 

**Park In-young:** I’m petite too. Do I worry you? 

**Seok Ho-pil:** No. No. Never. 

##  **Author:** This is my readers’ top question: Is the PDA really intense? 

**Park In-young:** Thanks a lot, Jangmi. 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** What? 

**Park In-young** : *sighs* I’m used to the PDA. I expect it. They’re newlyweds. And they’re mostly fine. 

**Seok Ho-pil:** *nods* I’m honestly fine with the “couple things” they do. They hold hands. They walk attached at the hip. They randomly kiss. The king can’t seem to help himself. It’s when they’re talking or arguing that gets to me. 

**Author:** Why? 

**Park In-young:** Oh yeah. I saw that when we were in the training grounds and the king and queen were only talking about guns but I had to turn away. 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** Eye sex. 

**Park In-young** : God, Jangmi, shut up! 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** That’s what you were thinking! 

**Seok Ho-pil:** You’re publishing all this? This is the king and queen, you know. 

##  **Author:** *giggling* Well yes, I mean, full disclosure, you know. You said the talking and arguing gets to you? Why? 

**Seok Ho-pil:** Jangmi already said it. 

**Seok Ho-pil:** *to Park In-Young* The PAO thinks this is good? 

**Park In-Young:** *nodding* *softly* Probably all part of the plan. 

**Author:** Excuse me, ma’am, what plan? 

**Park In-Young:** The Royal Public Affairs Office never does anything unplanned or not agreeable to a plan. I think all this is meant to endear the queen to the public. They want romance, so the PAO gives them romance. And the Queens Day is all about love for the queen. The PAO wants the people to know the king is absolutely arse over elbow in love with the queen, so the people would also love the queen. 

**Author:** But the people already do. 

**Park In-young:** Yes. The queen is easy to love.

##  **Author:** That’s sweet. As the only woman in the guard, are you close to the queen, ma’am? 

**Park In-young** : I would never presume to be close to the queen. But she’s lovely and kind. 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** They share the women’s shower in the garrison gym. It doesn’t say “Women,” it says “In-Young.” But they’ve changed that to, “The Queen and In-Young.”

 **Author** : I love that! 

##  **Author:** I’m sure I don’t want you to compromise security in any way, but has anything changed since the king’s marriage? The queen has her own team, doesn’t she? 

**Seok Ho-pil:** They’re always together so it’s still the eight of us, plus the Captain and Jangmi. 

**Park In-young:** We expand the team as needed. Numbers don’t always mean better security. 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** *nods* The King’s Guard is essentially the Queen’s guard. They’re the elite and no one can match them. 

**Park In-young:** What do you mean “they?” You’re one of us.

 **Jang Mi-reuk:** Oh. Thanks, sunbae. 

**Author:** So nothing changed in your routines and procedures? 

**Seok Ho-pil:** We have hair ties in our pockets. 

**Park In-young:** Oh yeah. 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** *grimacing* It’s because the queen uses whatever she can reach to tie her hair if she doesn’t have a hair tie. She even used a zip tie once. I got reprimanded when the king saw that. 

**Seok Ho-pil:** *to Jang Mi-reuk* Where did she get a bleeping zip tie? 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** I have them in the car. They’re useful. 

**Park In-young:** Oh that was the time I saw the king trying to untangle the queen’s hair? It was because of a zip tie? 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** Yeah. 

**Author:** So you have hair ties in your pockets so the queen can have one when she needs it? 

**Seok Ho-pil:** Yes. 

**Park In-young:** Everyone has one. Even Seung-ri at the entry checkpoint has one. 

**Author:** That is adorable. That is so sweet. 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** I know, right? 

**Author:** *giggling* Mr Jang, have you taken any more photos you can share with us? 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** No. 

##  **Author:** And how have things changed since the queen’s publicized love for Seoul chicken? 

**Park In-young:** It’s not our place to talk or even hint about that. 

**Jang Mi-reuk:** You’ll have to wait for the announcement. 

**Park In-young** : God, Jangmi, what did I just say? I’ll kill you. 

##  **Author** : *giggling* I think our time is almost up. Thank you so much again. This is another point of interest: How can someone join the Royal Guard? 

**Seok Ho-pil:** Training is always open although we do have limited slots. The requirements are all posted online. Background checks, clearances, degrees, and so on. It’s a 100 percent commitment. This is the royal family we’re protecting. We are given time off and plenty of perks but you do need to truly become a shield of the royal family. 

**Park In-young** : It’s not for everyone. But we’re happy to give training to Corean citizens even if they end up not committing to the Royal Guard. The training can still come in handy in protecting your families or Corea. 

**Author:** You are wonderful people. Thank you again so much for your service and dedication. 

\----------------------------------------

That’s the hair tie adorableness from a Tumblr anon now crossed off my outlines, too, lol. 

Image of the Royal Guard from @wdohwaaan on Twitter


	18. Happy Queens Day! Palace security, the king’s cake, the queen’s portraits, and a stunning photograph!

  * Happy Queens Day!
  * Weather is perfect for Corea’s celebrations. There’s the sun! 
  * All entrances and exits to the palace are tightly guarded 
  * Biometrics capture is in place. So if anyone is even thinking of trying anything, better not
  * This also makes it convenient for you to return to the palace fast during the week-long festivities
  * Breathalyzers are also there. You can’t visit the queen if you’re drunk
  * Food and drink--non-alcoholic-- are provided at the palace. Even drinking stations are there for hydration
  * Don’t bring much other than yourself and your camera, really 
  * It’s basically a huge party-- and this author knows the king and queen can afford it, _using their own money_ , unlike some royal families I can but won’t name
  * Attire is smart casual. You want to be able to comfortably enjoy the palace grounds under the September sun, but you also don’t want to be too disheveled in case you meet the king and queen, do you? 
  * For the guests’ own safety, the gate would turn you away if you’re not wearing comfortable footwear (So take a cue from the queen and ditch the heels, ladies. Who are you trying to impress anyway, the king? He’s taken!)



The Royal Public Affairs Office released an official palace greeting this morning, along with gorgeous portraits of the queen. 

To quote: 

## Their Majesties and the Gwangyeongjon Palace wish the citizens of Corea a Happy Queens Day. 

## The Royal Public Affairs Office is pleased to release the following portraits of Her Majesty the Queen. 

## It’s the first Queens Day in thirty years that Corea has a queen. 

## And such a beloved queen.

> **She is so beautiful. This author is quite in love with her?**
> 
> **Happy Queens Day, Your Majesty!**

And here’s the first juicy tidbit of Queens Day: the King made a cake for the queen. 

It looks like a very simple but quite beautifully done strawberry shortcake. 

I loved the cake and the queen’s adorable face, but there was another photo in the Royal Public Affairs Office packet that, well, made this author go to the powder room and scream, yes. 

> **Apparently, the Royal Public Affairs Office had secretly invited Corea News photographer correspondent Di Elle and she was given leave to take this portrait of the king and queen.**
> 
> **I’m crying! Di Elle has more photos, but says she will give them to me at the right time. That’s absolutely fine! I will be happily surprised along with everyone else then! Thank you, @di-elle! You are marvelous! I’m still crying!**

Happy Queens Day, darlings! Stay tuned for more updates. 

I’M GOING TO THE PALACE! And don’t they think I’m getting distracted from getting the scoop on the announcement we’ve all been waiting for-- I’ll keep my eyes and ears open, readers! Stay tuned! 

* * *

I'm really crying at Di Elle's edit. She gave me more. So stay tuned!

Thank you so much, darling! You really, really are marvelous! 


	19. Queens Day - First Day: The king and queen were late because... shenanigans

# Queens Day - First Day: The King and Queen were late because... shenanigans

  * If you are not Corean or not invited to the Queens Day, I really quite feel bad
  * This is a splendid, world-class festival. 
  * The crowd control was such that no one is a sad loser. If you can no longer enter the palace grounds, the entirety of Busan is open for you 
  * The palace had funded all small businesses to offer free food and drink to everyone
  * I was stunned when we drove toward the palace and saw booths and decorations in the streets
  * Games, food, merchandise, they were all here in Busan, not just inside the palace
  * No wonder people love Queens Day! 
  * Can you imagine all the extra sales businesses are making because of the free food? It’s wonderful for the economy! 



This author was very fortunate in having been invited to the palace, so my team and I did manage to enter the grounds. 

It was decorated in thousands of hypoallergenic flowers-- flowers that are simply pretty, not scented and likely to give you a headache in those massive numbers. Bougainvillea, hydrangea, asters, sunflowers, carnations, snapdragons, hyacinths… and dozens of other flowers this author can’t name.

There were game booths and tents of entertainment for kids and adults. And tucked here and there were booths, kiosks or tables groaning under food and drinks. You can walk around and never have to go hungry or thirsty! 

## Not much happened in the morning. The juicy bits didn’t happen until the evening. I did see Park In-young. The gorgeous Park In-Young! 

> **This author wonders if the Royal Guard was aware of this outrageous level of beauty hiding right under their noses in those sleek suits and regulation bun.**

Some of the Royal Guard are apparently incognito, blending in with the crowd. _You really really don’t want to try anything during Queens Day._

Seeing Park In-young in civilian clothes clued me in that the king and queen haven’t made an appearance yet. 

I didn’t really expect them because it was still early morning. And the last time we were in the palace, we were told the queen starts her day in the afternoons now. Wink wink. 

But afternoon came and went and there was no reported royal presence. 

Finally, at a quarter past seven, deafening cheers alerted everyone in the ten-mile radius that the king and queen had arrived. 

Contrary to what this author was expecting, the queen wasn’t in her usual casual outfit. No, Her Majesty wore a gorgeous Bottega Veneta silk. It’s in the well-known, well-loved hibiscus line. 

> We don’t have a better photo because it was extremely hard to take this photo amongst the jostling crowd. Shame. We’ll bring a tripod next time. 

The queen went to the stage for her ten-minute Q&A with the people, and the king removed his coat and sat stage-right, away from the spotlight in his usual chair. 

Because of the late hour, the crowd was mostly adults. And they were mostly ahjummas who had no compunction asking why the king and queen were late, and were they canoodling in the palace and forgot everyone outside waiting to meet them? 

To the crowd’s delight, the queen blushed and the king became a rather dorky giggling mess. 

> Pink-cheeked from the teasing ahjummas

> The king just giggling unabashedly 

> The queen still blushing, looking at the king’s fit of giggles

Oh where was Mr Jang Mi-reuk when you needed him to dish? 

The Q&A was a waste because the ten minutes was spent on this teasing, while the crowd went wild at the king and queen not talking but confirming that there had been newlywed shenanigans going on. 

The ahjummas ate it up. And I think the Royal Guard was flustered too, either because of the rather lewd mood of the crowd or some other reason, this author can only speculate. 

They didn’t extend the king and queen’s appearance despite the zero Q&A actually happening. 

The king and queen bid everyone a good night-- they were too eager to do it, my gods, the ahjummas and I just exchanged knowing looks-- and said they hoped we would enjoy dining alfresco on the palace grounds. 

Oh we would. They’d given us so much more than real dinner. They gave us cake with that blushing and giggling and running away back to their private residence. 

Ahhh young love. 

\----------------------------

Lol I edited those photos to add the blush. She looks adorable. Mwahaha. 

Stay tuned! I'm on a roll because someone updated his IG with a love song on a very significant date. 


	20. Queens Day Festival Recap: We saw very little of the queen, really. Speculation is on a fever pitch!

  * I’m sorry for the time skip, dear readers. It was very tiring trying to stalk royals! But here’s my report on the entire Festival. 
  * Part of the reason I haven’t reported daily is because we didn’t see much of the queen. 
  * After the first evening when the king and queen of Corea made the kingdom swoon with their newlywed bliss, the rest of the Queens Day Festival was sadly lacking a queen. 
  * Oh it was marvelous with appearances from Corean celebrities and the continued games and feasts, but we saw precious little of the queen. 



## The king did his best to fill this lack. He was seen mingling with the crowd, taking selfies with children and even posing with a bouquet for the queen. 

## On the third day of the festival, the queen did appear in the afternoon. And this time, she answered questions from kids. 

**Q. How do I become a cop?**

**HM The Queen:** You need to study hard because you’ll need that to be a good police officer. You can also start training your self-discipline through martial arts. And make sure you respect your elders and peers. That’s the most important thing. 

**Q. Are you gonna have a baby?**

> At this question, the crowd cheered. But the queen maneuvered around that question to the crowd’s groaning disappointment, although we _also_ **loved** her answer. 

**HM The Queen:** Of course I will. We need princesses and princes, don’t we? 

**Q. Do you love the king even when he’s bad?**

**HM The Queen:** Yes, very much. 

An ahjumma in the crowd yelled out, “Do you punish him?” But the queen just laughed. 

**Q. Do you have a mom and dad?**

**HM The Queen:** Well, my mom passed away when I was five. But I still have my dad, yes. He’s a great dad. 

The other questions are too childish to publish. But it was charming. I do wish the adults could have had the Q&A. Oh well, we’ll just have to wait patiently. 

**Whenever the queen was onstage, the Royal Guard sat with her up there in civilian clothes.** They looked like they were going to answer questions too! 

But even with that protection, the king could be seen sitting amongst the audience looking a little tense. 

## We wonder why he looks so worried. Well, only a little. We have a guess!

## On the fourth evening, the queen delighted us by singing! She has a lovely voice. The crowd swooned. 

> Don’t be fooled by that deceptively casual outfit. The watch alone costs several thousand dollars. 

This is the last we see of the queen until the Day Seven of the festival. 

## On the final night of the Queens Day Festival, the queen opened the dinner. 

**After naming a list of both small and big shot businesses and enterprises that sponsored some of the events, beverages, food and game prizes of Queens Day, the queen tucked away her card and seemed to speak from the heart to the upturned faces of her little guests, age 9 to 12.**

## “Thank you for visiting us for Queens Day. We had such a great time and I was happy to see you all. I hope you enjoy our dinner, and that you continue to be healthy. The king and I promise to safeguard your health and happiness, because you are the future of Corea.” 

That’s 999 kids and almost double the number of parents who clapped and cheered. It was deafening. 

The dinner was both plated and a buffet, with a dizzying array of Corean, Asian, and continental dishes and drinks. 

At some point while we guests were enjoying the food, the queen disappeared. And didn’t return. The king was also--predictably--gone. 

Myeong Seung-ah of the Royal Public Affairs Office asked for forgiveness on behalf of Their Majesties and assured us everything was fine, and to please enjoy the food. 

And that was that. 

The ahjummas are worried. The palace really should release an announcement soon. Of course they have our forgiveness. We just want an official statement so we can officially be gloriously happy for them! 

At least, this author hopes that’s what we’ll all be feeling. I must admit I’m worried, too. But we shouldn’t be anxious before we get any news. 

Stay tuned for updates. 


	21. Palace Announcement: WE HAVE A ROYAL BABY!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Essential reads:   
> The Thirteenth Rule (Part 5 of Days and Nights of Forever)  
> Seo-ryeong vs Lady Noh  
> Three Hours for Chicken

  * People are always excited about baby news when people who are so obviously deeply in love marry
  * And the whole kingdom can attest to how in love the king and queen are
  * This whirlwind romance took the kingdom by surprise, and then took hold of their hearts and refused to let go
  * Everyone is absolutely in love with the queen, wishing her happiness with the king
  * There were whispers that we barely acknowledged, wondering if the whirlwind is followed by the report of a shotgun
  * But apparently not! Even though they did do it mighty quick, didn’t they! 
  * And while this author absolutely agrees that people don’t need children to love or be happy, a baby IS another magical element that makes the romance we’ve been following even more lovely 
  * We have been so excited about the royal baby since the beginning



If you’ll recall, we had the first, very affirmative clue from the king himself during his flash interview, when he refused to let the queen sit on what he perceived as an unstable chair. _Swoon_. 

Since then, we’ve been on tenterhooks watching for every clue, including multiple ones from Jang Mi Reuk, and it all culminated in the queen’s sudden trip to Seoul (for chicken!) and then her repeated absences during the week-long Queens Day Festival. 

When we received the packet from the Royal Public Affairs Office, this author took a deep breath. It could have been anything. I didn’t expect this creamy, hefty, royal card stock to fall into my lap. 

I screamed. And I didn’t make it to the powder room at all. 

## Without further ado, here’s the royal announcement. 

This is quite a standard announcement and this author has certainly seen the same format from the announcement of other royal pregnancies. 

## Although... the background image is making me weak at the knees. Is that a… a wedding portrait of the king and queen? No matter, we’ll let that come to us when it does. 

It’s customary to include the family in the announcement. In this case, without an immediate family, it cements the support of the presumptive heirs to this next apparent heir. 

Until this baby’s birth, the king’s heir is his cousin Lee Se-jin, granddaughter of Prince Buyeong. 

Lady Seo-gyeong is of course the queen’s twin sister, currently in New Zealand as a highly valued agent of the Interpol.

The queen’s father is alive, and is included in “the members of the royal family” because he is recognized as, indeed, a member of the royal family. 

##  **The 4th king of the parliamentary monarchy of Corea, or the first queen regnant**

This baby will be the fourth king of his line since the shift to parliamentary monarchy in 1945. Before the establishment of parliament, Corea has more than 500 years of kings and you can just count the succession from that yourself. 

If it’s a girl, the baby will remain heir apparent and will be queen regnant. 

The king has made into law that the line of succession to the throne will no longer be determined by male descendants. He had done this when he named Lady Se-jin his heir, before his marriage to the queen. 

Now that the queen is expecting, this baby is _royal_ \--not just a member of the royal family-- _he or she will be king or reign as queen in her own right_ , whether or not a son (or more) is born to the king and queen afterward. 

## The queen is in excellent health but finds the first trimester challenging

The packet from the Royal Public Affairs Office also elaborated on the queen’s condition. 

The press release says:

## “The queen is in excellent health but finds her first trimester challenging thus far. The protocol is to wait for the twelfth week mark for the announcement, but the Palace wants to alleviate the public’s concern, and to give notice that the queen might not be able to attend to her engagements during this delicate time.” 

Engagements-schmengagements. You just rest, Your Majesty. 

> **Taken just before Queens Day-- and this author’s favorite photo of the queen to date. Especially now that we know the reason behind the twinkle, hmm?**

With the baby due in May, the queen is just about in her 6th to 7th weeks. This is just about right on the mark for morning sickness and the pregnancy brain. This author is all-sympathy but also now smiling at the confirmation that it was pregnancy brain--and cravings!--behind the queen’s impromptu late-night trip from Busan to Seoul. 

## Congratulations, Your Majesties! 

And don’t let anyone tell you you should have waited a year or two. You can absolutely balance your duties and enjoy your lives with your pregnancy and baby. You are king and queen after all! 

My favorite modern royals are having a baby. I’m quite misty!

I have a feeling we’ll have more to come. The Royal Public Affairs Office will want to keep the people calm. Stay tuned! 

  


* * *

Background Image edit of the king and queen from Corea News Photographer Correspondent @di-elle, di-elle.tumblr.com

I love you so much! Did I tell you I love you today? 

Then I just added my text and embellishments. 

And you guys should comment, okeh, let me know if you’re happy! Lol


	22. Royal Wedding: We FINALLY have wedding crumbs

# Royal Wedding: We FINALLY have wedding crumbs

  * On the heels of the palace announcement of the royal baby, the Royal Public Affairs Office released never before seen portraits of the king and queen
  * **Royal. Wedding. Portraits.**
  * Do I even need to tell you what I did when I opened the packet?
  * Before I went ballistic at the assumption that Corea News photographer correspondent Di-elle @di-elle was actually at the wedding, she hastened to tell me that these photos were taken AFTER, long after, and she had been summoned to the palace, and then whisked in and out of the throne room so fast she had no time to be flustered at all. She only took the photos 
  * All right then 
  * According to the Coreans we consulted, this is the first time that they’re even seeing royal wedding portraits
  * Apparently, photography wasn’t meant to “capture” the king and queen, and paintings were not released to the public, but viewable if they visit the palace
  * Until now, paintings are usually solo portraits, not the king and queen together
  * Well! I’m glad to live in the age we do, and get to enjoy these photos and print of the painting
  * These photos are heavily edited in a way that they seem almost unreal, which I’m told is meant to convey that the king and queen are untouchable, even by the inescapable mechanics of the camera
  * **The Royal Public Affairs Office, Corea News, and**[ **@di-elle**](https://di-elle.tumblr.com/) **request that you DO NOT use these images without permission and without attribution. Message Di-Elle and she can give you copies for your own use, without this author’s own Corea News watermark.**



## The queen in the revered white silk

> The tantalizing photo we first saw in the Palace Announcement of the royal baby. 

The queen’s royal bridal regalia is white mulberry silk. That’s the most expensive silk in the world, painstakingly collected from silkworms raised in captivity. 

Every queen of Corea always gets her own bridal silk. That means tens of thousands of silkworms created that gown, although I’m sure expensively preserved heirloom fabrics are always there, so perhaps no new silkworms died at all. I can’t imagine the queen liking that. 

**In ancient times, Coreans worshipped the sun, and the color white symbolized the light of the sun. They revere this color and that’s why they reserve it for brides, to represent her purity.**

**Not purity as in virginity, but purity of desires, thoughts, and emotions, this time based on the** _**gum-chae-saek** _ **(no-color philosophy) of Confucianism: “If you seek beauty, you will not find it. Not searching for beauty is beauty.”**

## The queen wearing the king’s _ohjoeryongbo_

I love couple twinning when it’s regal and royal like this. That’s the ONLY tolerable manner of matching clothes with your significant other, really. 

In this painting, the queen wears a black _dangui_ , matching the king’s black _gonryongpo_ or dragon robe. The queen’s _dangui_ has gold emblems on the chest and shoulders of the king’s _ohjoeryongbo_ , the five-toed dragon. 

If they have a son, the crown prince will wear a four-toed dragon, and his son, the king’s grandson, will wear a three-toed dragon. 

I’m excited to see how a _crown_ princess-- if they have a daughter as firstborn-- would be dressed. Perhaps she would have the four-toed dragon in her own right. 

## The queen wearing her royal emblem, the pheasant

In this more casual portrait, the queen is wearing the queen’s own royal emblem, the pheasant. 

Pheasant robes of old usually had red and blue pheasants embroidered all over the queen’s wedding hanbok. But they have evolved into emblems resembling the king’s ohjoeryongbo, sewn onto the queen’s dangui’s chest and shoulders. 

It’s also interesting to see that, as I expected, the queen didn’t wear the traditional halo-like hairstyle, _eoyeo meori_. Instead she’s wearing the traditional low bun hairstyle of queens and married princesses, the _jeokjin meori_ , with a _baetssi daenggi_ , that ornament sitting on top of her head. 

Her _binyeo_ , or hairpin, which transects her _jeokjin meori_ bun, seems to be a unique shape, probably a wedding gift from the king, rather than the traditional dragon _binyeo_ she wears in the other portraits. 

**Dragon binyeo, called the** _**yongjam** _ **, is a binyeo only the queen of Corea can wear. No one else in the kingdom can wear a dragon** _**binyeo** _ **.**

Well, look at me dissecting the queen’s robes as if I hadn’t screamed in the powder room. I wonder what we’ll get next! 

I’m off to the palace to try to get a look at those portraits in all its full-sized glory! 

* * *

Black and white manip of the king and queen by @isii_ken on Instagram. Quite gorgeous edits in that account. Thank you! 

Many thanks again, [@di-elle](https://di-elle.tumblr.com/)! I love you so mucho! 


	23. Royal Baby’s Fierce Circle: The Queen, Her Majesty’s OB, and the PM

# Royal Baby’s Fierce Circle: The Queen, Her Majesty’s OB, and the PM

  * The Queen is now in her 9th week of pregnancy
  * When they announced it, it was at 6 weeks
  * The whole kingdom is counting. All the ahjummas agree it’s the 9th week now, so we’re going with that like the trained journalists we are, shall we? 
  * This means Royal Baby was conceived in late July or August. Maybe even in New Zealand
  * Forgive me, that’s just baseless and tactless speculation now, but the ahjummas are rubbing off on me! 
  * In all truthfulness, we didn’t have a source



That is, until the Royal Public Affairs Office released a statement

## “Her Majesty The Queen remains in excellent health and the baby’s due date has been more solidly confirmed in May by the queen’s doctor, Chae Song-eun.” 

**And just like that, we have a Royal OB!**

> Seonsaeng (Professor) Chae Song-eun is the Chief of Obstetrics in CorGen. That’s Corean General for you international readers. Corean General Hospital is the largest hospital in the kingdom, located in Busan, historically a small practice of the Chae family until it was endowed by none other than King Hae-long, the king’s great-great-grandfather. 

Traditionally, the royal family’s doctors are within the royal family. 

Prince Buyeong was the royal physician before his death. His position would have gone to his granddaughter Lady Se-jin, but she herself is pregnant in LA. According to reports, the pregnancy is delicate, so Lady Se-jin can’t come to Corea at present. 

We ran into Professor Chae at a cafe in Busan. And no, we were not watching out for her. It was just a splendid happenstance. Wink wink. 

“My family has always had the privilege of attending to members of the royal family,” says Professor Chae. “Usually to assist the royal Lee doctors.” 

This author didn’t even know that that’s the royal family name! 

Professor Chae, 41, has a new family herself. She recently married her long-time colleague Lee Sok-jun (not a royal Lee) who also happens to be Chief of General Surgery at CorGen. (They have young chiefs in CorGen, apparently). She has a stepson, 6 years old. 

**Q. What can you tell us, Professor?**

**Professor Chae:** The queen really is all right. I confirmed the pregnancy when it was at four weeks. 

**Q: Oh. So how many weeks along is the Queen now?**

**Professor Chae** : I anticipated that question if the press got hold of me. I was told I can confirm that the ahjummas are right-- Her Majesty is at 9 weeks. 

**Q: That’s wonderful! What else can you tell us?**

**Professor Chae:** I’ll continue to check on the queen regularly. The first trimester of a first pregnancy can be rough for some women, but the queen is more physically healthy than average. And I think it’s great that Koo Seo-ryeong is being such a fierce ally. Go, sisterhood. 

Again, Professor Chae managed to disarm this author with another tidbit I didn’t know before. And then she slipped away to go back to the hospital. 

And here you are, dear readers, it seems the Office of the Prime Minister had released a discreet statement about the queen’s engagements to Parliament (and its wives). 

## “The Office of the Prime Minister requests all the queen’s engagements with the Parliament’s social, cultural and fiscal calendar to be deferred to a later date, or to Her Excellency, the Prime Minister.” 

Wow. In no-nonsense terms, that’s the PM very strongly advising Parliament to postpone events or to simply cut short their ambitions of having the queen present and opt for the PM herself. 

We reached out to the Royal Public Affairs Office for comment, and they said:

## “This is admittedly not protocol and not necessary-- the Queen’s Office is separate from the Office of the Prime Minister. However, we recognize that it’s not a professional maneuver, but a personal one, because the PM considers the queen a very close friend. It’s a mutual regard.” 

I love this so much. I’m not screaming into the powder room, but I am a little misty. **We need more women sticking up for each other in this world.**

But we’re not done yet, darlings. Just as we were getting ready to get this to the printers, we received news that the Queen attended a gala for the benefit of The Corean Bureau of Fire Protection. 

They usually have this annual fund-raising in September, when the hard work and vigilance for the summer is over. The queen choosing to attend this gala is a nod to choosing a worthy cause over mere social obligation like most parliament events admittedly are. 

With the queen’s arrival, members of high society tripped over themselves to attend. The CBFP raised nearly a billion won before the evening ended. 

> The queen in head to toe Chanel, speaking to firemen in tuxes. Swoon. 

No sign of being unwell. Even if she gets morning sickness, the queen slays in the evenings. We love, love, love her smile. 

And of course, for someone who’s so physically fit, this author doubts we’ll ever see a baby bump until way further into the pregnancy. 

The queen is absolutely glowing, isn’t she? 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Note: Not really sure if that’s head to toe Chanel, but looking it up would have delayed this even longer, lol. I hope you like! 


	24. Modern Royals: 10 Times the King and Queen of Corea made ahjummas ugly-cry over their romance

  * You know what this author loves about Corea? The delightful mix of tradition and modernity
  * I mean, in this country, you have visiting and dining etiquette, respectful address etiquette, and countless other delicious customs steeped in tradition. Catholicism with its millennia-old ceremonies is also a favored religion
  * On the flipside, this country has rock-solid laws on divorce, equal rights, and zero tolerance for rape and abuse or discrimination of ANY sort
  * I’m quite in love with this country. Its people are well taken care of
  * And of course, the biggest deliciousness for me are Their Majesties
  * Shrouded in privacy and that same tradition I just mentioned, the king married the queen in July
  * In the course of a few weeks since the wedding, the queen endeared herself to her people, and even made friends with the Prime Minister, a formidable woman who was herself previously linked to the King (entirely one-sided pursuit on her part)
  * It’s now October, and we’re happily expecting the first royal baby in May!



I’ve seen some colleagues in the media voice that thought we’ve all had: “They didn’t take long.” 

I’ve also seen comparisons with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and Baby Archie, who was born only a few days shy of his parents first anniversary. Corea’s royal baby will be born two whole months before his/her parents’ first anniversary. 

So this little article seems absolutely timely!

It sounds trite, I know, but lists are all the rage these days. Add Corea’s royal romance and this article will pay for my office’s bills for two months. 

This is with sanction from the Royal Public Affairs Office, who I’ll never cross, and who also gave me some background where they could or would. 

## 1\. Who can forget the breathless kisses in New Zealand? 

Well, they made us breathless. Taken from Chateau Maryleone-- a security breach that apparently got people fired. If it was originally a video footage, we don’t know. Only the photos were spread online. 

The world is in love with this smiling kiss. 

The Royal Public Affairs Office’s only comment here is: **“We’ve found the parties involved and they have been summarily dealt with.”**

You can see why I would never dream of crossing them. 

## 2\. The snuggle at Pyeongyang Children’s Hospital

The new digital diagnostics wing was inaugurated in July. If this author remembers right, two of the queen’s photos made it to a list of 7 Times the Queen of Corea Stole Our Hearts with Her Smile. 

Children, parents, media, and hospital staff loudly showed their approval of the queen then, and she had laughingly and shyly accepted it. 

Reports have emerged that the queen was quite overwhelmed, and had actually retreated to a room with the king. It was one of the new consultation rooms of the new wing, with glass windows. 

People saw the queen seek refuge in the king’s arms, hiding her face in his chest, and the king cradling her against him, arms around her, one hand stroking her hair. 

We don’t have photos, because none of the witnesses dared. But they’ve all reported and demonstrated it. I’m sighing here. 

## 3\. The hand-in-pocket cuteness when we visited the palace before Queens Day 

You’ve read about this in the Royal Twinkle, of course! 

## 4\. Turning up late and blushing during Queens Day

You also remember this from our recent report. Their Majesties turned up late for their scheduled appearance, and then the king was just a giggling mess in the dim part of the stage (stage right), and the queen just looked at him, blushing. 

The Royal Public Affairs Office almost had no comment, but remarked that the king and queen are newlyweds. Well, that’s exactly and the ajhummas and I said, didn’t we. 

## 5\. Another hand-holding-and-tuck, also during Queens Day 

Remember the king looking anxious whenever the queen was onstage, despite the queen being surrounded by the Royal Guard? 

We have eyewitness reports from people closer to the stage, who have craned their necks or ducked between people’s onstage legs to get a glimpse of the king and queen whenever the guards surrounded them. 

Apparently, the king invariably fetched the queen in the same way. He would go on stage, take her hand with his left and hold her hand against his chest while his right hand and arm tucked her securely against his side. 

**_I love a man who’s so enamored of his wife he takes hold of her with_ ** **both** _**hands.** _

## 6\. The distraction during the Opening of Parliament in Seoul 

The Opening of Parliament is a series of ceremonies dating back to 1945, when the parliament was first established. We were hoping to see the queen accompany the king, but she had stayed in Busan-- and we now know the reason why, don’t we? 

In one of these ceremonies, the king was supposed to signal the Usher to open the door to summon the Ministers into Parliament. 

But the king had seemed transfixed by a bunch of forget-me-nots included in the predominantly blue flower arrangement in the Parliament’s subdued decorations for the occasion. 

Sources say the king had a fond expression on his face, and his eyes were, according to the reports, shining, like he was near tears. 

The Royal Public Affairs Office had no comment. It seems the significance of the forget-me-nots remains a secret between the King and Queen. 

Since then, forget-me-nots in pots and seeds and cultivars have sold out across the kingdom. 

## 7\. Every time they step out of the car

This is an event people of Corea have come to watch, even more so than the actual events the king and queen attended. 

Unlike other royals who get their doors opened for them, the queen gets her door opened by none other than the king. 

It always happens this way. A member of the royal guard opens the king’s car door, the king steps out, and then he goes around the car to open the queen’s door. 

And then we watch with bated breath as the queen swivels in her seat to bring both legs and feet outside the car. The king’s hand is already waiting, and she takes it with one of hers. 

He helps her to her feet and then just smiles at her for long moments, head tilted to her, whether or not she’s also looking at him or is already distracted by the crowds. 

And they hold each other’s hands until they absolutely have to let go. Duties be damned. They’re working royals, yes, but they’re married and in love! 

It’s become a game among members of the media and event organizers to attempt to prolong that hand holding as long as possible. 

Ministers of Parliament and their wives-- the more popular ones-- always seem to have planned on holding something in their hands so that they only bowed to the king and queen and Their Majesties didn’t have to offer to shake hands. 

It’s ridiculous and yet delicious, the way this romance has united the country like this, both Parliament and public besotted with them. 

Their Majesties hold hands so romantically too. Their grip is always so visible, like they’re constantly gently squeezing each other’s hands. 

Corean celebrities and their own significant others imitate this on red carpets, calling it the royal handhold. 

## 8\. An actual kiss after the Bureau of Fire Protection Annual Gala

No wonder the gala raised nearly a billion won. The queen had turned up unexpectedly, remember? 

And we’ve had matching stories from eyewitnesses who saw the queen’s car pull up to take her back to the palace. At the time, the Royal Guard had taken care of crowd control, to make sure only the queen was leaving at the time, with no other car waiting or leaving. 

But the gala had been held in a converted warehouse in Clearwater Bay, and as such, a doorway was practically an entire absent wall, so plenty of people had a vantage point of seeing the king stepping out of the car. 

The queen was visibly surprised to see him, and then she was gently greeted with a kiss before being just as gently ushered into the car. 

## 9\. Every time the king broke the order of precedence-- and he continues to do so 

For state and diplomatic events, the order of precedence protocol dictates that the queen consort follows two steps behind the king. If they have a son, the crown prince will be next in line, literally, after the king, overtaking the queen consort unless His Majesty gives a king’s order about it. 

That king’s order is only a matter of time. I very much doubt the king or his heir will let the queen trail after them. 

Since their marriage, we’ve witnessed the king and queen attend two state events and one diplomatic event: the investiture of the re-elected Prime Minister in July, the 383rd anniversary of King Yeongjeong’s Defeat of the Qing Invasion in early August, and a return visit from Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden. 

  * The PM’s investiture was held in the Royal Audience Hall, and the king and queen arrived when everyone was already seated. 
  * The anniversary was commemorated in King Yeongjong’s Memorial in Yeongjong Park in Busan, where Their Majesties were driven right up to the blue carpet leading to the memorial statue. 
  * For Crown Princess Victoria’s arrival, the king and queen publicly welcomed her at Busan Airport, with the heir of Sweden and Their Majesties of Corea walking toward each other to give and accept welcome.



In all three events, the king does walk ahead at first, but then he always stops and waits for the queen, turning back to her and putting an arm around her upper back. Then they walk side by side, or even with the queen slightly ahead of the king. 

We’ve seen the queen give the king a _look_ , but the king just smiles at her, a restrained close-mouthed smile, or an outright grin, which was what he wore when they met Crown Princess Victoria, who is a friend. 

## 10\. A hug after a long day in Busan. There’s so much love inside the palace. 

This one is from the Royal Public Affairs Office, captioned, **“The king meeting the queen in the grounds after a long day.”**

If you’ve been to the palace grounds for Queens Day, you will recognize this clock. It’s in the part of the extensive gardens open to the public, and it has a little coffee shop where you can taste the palace’s appointed teas, coffees and cakes.

The print came to us exactly like that-- it’s not the fault of our scanners. Perhaps it’s a stolen shot and our dear Mr. Jang Mi-reuk hastily took it and then made the photo grainy and overexposed when he hid his phone again? Who knows. 

And who cares?! 

Look at how the king holds the queen as if they’d been apart for days or weeks rather than hours. The press of his head to hers, the curl of his body around hers, and that hand cradling the queen’s head-- these all speak of his love for her, and I’m melting. 

That royal baby is going to be such a beloved baby. The royal parents certainly don’t shy away from displaying that love. 

I don’t want to leave Corea. I want to follow this happily ever after today and forever. 

More to come! Stay tuned. 


	25. The Corean Awards: A reunion of the royal love triangle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Read with:   
> That Bastard, Gong Shin (one-shot, see profile)   
> See also: Corea News #13 and 14 :)

# The Corean Awards: A reunion of the royal love triangle

  * The Corean Awards is like Corea’s national equivalent of the Nobel, Peabody and Oscars combined
  * It honors the most distinguished contributions to radio, television, online media, film, literature, chemistry, mining science, medicine, and finance
  * Before the addition of online media, the Corean Awards included the Corean Peace Award, but now the Corean Peace Prize is a separate award, held every five years to honor contributions in four categories: global and national social justice, charity, and environmental initiative
  * The Corean Awards are held every two years, preceded by a round table panel announcing the nominees
  * This year’s Panel of Announcement had the excitement of the queen’s attendance



  * For the ahjummas who aren’t updated, or (more accurately) excited to correct me if I’m wrong, the queen is now at week 12 of her pregnancy
  * She looks more beautiful than ever
  * … and almost impossible to photograph, what with the Royal Guard surrounding her at all times
  * As a testament to this country’s love of their royals, you won’t even see flash photography any more at events if the queen was present
  * These people don’t want to stress their queen. I’m getting misty about it. I’ve never experienced such a thing in all my years in the media 



> \- The titanium and 24-carat gold Ohjoryongbo Medal of The Corean Awards, depicting the king’s five-toed dragon

## The Corean Awards was founded in 1919, shortly after the First World War, to both bolster the kingdom’s morale and honor the work of the civilians during the four year war when Japan made another attempt to invade Corea.

Note that Corea has separate awards of valor for its armed forces. 

**Every winner of the Corean Award gets 2 billion won, the coveted 24-carat solid gold Ohjoryongbo Medal** _(worth undisclosed and considered the tackiest of tackiness to even speculate)_ **, and a key to the kingdom.**

Unlike other “key to the city” awards which are little more than worthless decor, the Corean Key grants the holder a lifetime travel and accommodation pass anywhere in the kingdom! 

If you hold a Corean Key, you can travel from Seoul to Pyongyang, stay in a hotel for however long you need to, and pay nothing. The bill goes to the palace. Isn’t that just marvelous? The kingdom is indeed open to you. 

(We are told there has never been an instance yet when the key had been revoked, but in the case of a Corean Laureate doing something reprehensible, their medal would be repossessed by the kingdom and their key would be revoked). 

Getting nominated is a victory in itself. Every nominee gets 100 million won, a medal, and they get to attend the awarding ceremony in the presence of Their Majesties. 

> **Go here for our full report on Corean Awards nominees-- more than 50% of them under 50, including the Queen’s Royal OB, Dr Chae Song-eun, for her groundbreaking work in in-utero surgery.**

## The round panel is composed of Their Majesties, the Ministries involved, and the Corean Laureate. 

Guess who happens to be a Corean Laureate? 

> Yes, Gong Shin. And by all appearances, he’s still as smitten with the queen. 

## The round panel is a nonagon, with nine (Corea’s favorite auspicious number) sides of seating arrangements, one for each of the Corean Awards categories. 

## The king and queen sat on separate sides, with the king sitting in on Finance and the queen sitting in on Medicine, with the kingdom’s health traditionally in the queen’s hands. 

Gong Shin sat between them sitting in on Film. 

He had won his Corean Award for his work on the documentary about the unwritten history of Queen Sae-do, the consort who was thought to have conspired with Japan, but was actually King Jae-gyeong’s most devoted wife. 

And there Gong Shin sat casting side-glances at the current queen and his mouth curving now and then in a grin like he can’t help it. 

We hope the king doesn’t behead him. We only took one photo but that represents how His Majesty looked during the entire panel. 

Oh dear. We wonder if Gong Shin will even be invited to the Corean Awards Ceremony now. 


	26. Romance and Rowing: The 2020 Rowing Competition for The Children’s Cancer Fund

  * The 2020 Children’s Cancer Fund Rowing Cup went off with a bang (literally and pun intended) on this crisp autumn morning.
  * The annual fundraising benefits all Corea’s children and adolescent cancer patients
  * This year, over 5 billion won was raised
  * A record-breaking number of 29 businesses and organizations participated, recruiting celebrity and university crew teams
  * The Naval Academy was in the competition again, with the king and his crewmates as usual
  * Some celebrities-- like a certain Corean Laureate--sponsored a team or two but didn’t row themselves
  * Yes, Gong Shin sponsored The Corean Christian Academy (CCA), Brent International Prep, and the Corean Science High Schools Athletic Association (CSHSAA) Crew
  * Did I mention that registration of each boat is at 10 million won? 


  * So Gong Shin spent 30 million won for his three boats alone, not to mention every team member’s registration, uniform, and training expenses 
  * Well, Gong Shin can always be depended on for a good cause, can’t he?
  * It doesn’t matter at all that the queen is the patron of the Children’s Cancer Fund, not at all. 



> Gong Shin and his handsome profile, at one of the sponsor row boats 

## There was a literal ripple in the crowd when the queen was spotted arriving. 

She was wearing jeans _with a belt_ , and for all the world didn’t look like she’s 13 weeks pregnant. 

But sharp-eyed ahjummas have reported to this author that the belt wasn’t at all tight and the queen’s white shirt and blazer combo both elegantly concealed and hinted at the royal baby bump we all want to see. 

The ahjummas further volunteered that first pregnancies often took longer to show. 

This author already knew that, and has mentioned that previously. 

The queen sat near the illustrated posters of the Children’s Cancer Fund. Her Majesty had an entire section of the stands with her guests (and guards). 

My team was armed with telephoto lenses, so we’re able to give you these images of the queen after she put on a baseball cap. 

> This author will never get tired of that gorgeous, fresh face. And what does she use on her perfect skin? Every woman in Corea wants to know! 

The queen faced a bank of monitors so she can watch the race-- and the king, of course.

Speaking of His Majesty, we also put our telephoto lenses to good use to capture him. 

> **And the rare sight of royal biceps and triceps.**

It was a family day. We also met Dr Chae, Dr Lee, and their adorable son. 

## The winners of the 2020 Rowing Competition 

> **Go here for our full report on the 2020 CCF Cup**

  * The Naval Academy
  * Terrius Comms
  * Seri’s Choice
  * CSHSAA Crew



And the CSHSAA Crew placed fourth. That meant Gong Shin got to shake the queen’s hand when he and his team received their trophy. 

We all looked at the king for his reaction, but he was simply too happy. And in all truth, he was grinning. 

For some reason, this author felt like this day was very special somehow. And not just because the Naval Academy won again. 

The king and queen didn’t even give us any new PDA. Just their usual lock of gazes that still makes this author uncomfortable to witness-- but I could never avert my eyes either. They just make you want to stare at them. They’re beautiful people with such a beautifully evident love for each other. 

At the end of the awarding ceremony when the crowd was beginning to disperse, the king gave the queen a bouquet of forget-me-nots. 

Dear reader, if you were there, you’d understand the principles behind what made me actually push my photographer’s huge telephoto lens downward when she attempted to take a photo. 

It was a private moment. 

The smiles Their Majesties exchanged were full of affection, and just a hint of a sweet secret between them. 

These two did meet in autumn, remember? 

The secret can’t be the gender of the baby yet, so perhaps that meeting was what the king commemorated with the forget-me-nots. 

I continue to be thrilled and delighted to chronicle these royal lovebirds. If only I could turn into a bird--no, some sentient beetle-- that I may suss out that secret, hmm? But there are some things best left to the imagination. 


	27. International Day for Climate Action, Daesang Medical Group, and Queenly Impatience

# International Day for Climate Action, Daesang Medical Group, and Queenly Impatience

  * The International Day for Climate Action is celebrated annually worldwide to promote the awareness of the reality of climate change (despite what idiotic presidents believe)
  * In Corea, every student is required to plant a hundred trees and submit a tally of their plantings so far on the day of the IDCA
  * Every year, both the Prime Minister and the King broadcasts a special message from their respective offices to remind the country to make a personal commitment to the environment 
  * This year, we were absolutely delighted to see a video of the King, Queen, and Prime Minister _together_ in an unnamed woodland or garden, where they individually spoke about Corea’s efforts for reversing climate change



> **Go here for the full video**

## Mining eco-responsibilities

The King speaks about the changes they’ve implemented and continue to implement in the mines and processing to reduce carbon footprint as much as possible. 

> The king without his usual hair engineering, in shirtsleeves, and looking like he’s ready to hike and camp for days (as long as he has the queen with him, because we know he can’t leave her for that long)

Corea’s wealth comes from (and is partly invested in) its mining and export of rare-earth elements. Deposits of cerium, lanthanum, samarium and yttrium number in millions of tons in Corea’s north regions and exclusive economic zone. 

These minerals are not rare, per se, but they’re costly to mine, extract, and produce from their ores. That’s why they’re called rare. You might not be aware, but you use them in your daily life: in your smartphones, in computer memory, batteries, storage devices, catalytic converters, magnets, fluorescent lighting and so much more. 

Because 80% of the Corea’s mines belong to the Royal Court, the king assures Corea and the international community of his and the queen’s commitment to the environment. 

## Perks for eco-friendliness

The Prime Minister, looking absolutely lovely and captivating out of her usual power dresses, continues where the king left off, telling citizens that Corea is pioneering studies on how rare-earth elements can be used in products that will produce less environmental waste, or be better recyclable. 

> The PM consulting her phone for the names of Corean scientists and their research on eco-friendly and biodegradable materials. This author loves her outfit and those soft shoes! It’s charming and completely unlike what we usually see her in.

Her Excellency also announced that Parliament is working on laws that will make it beneficial for both manufacturers, importers, and consumers to be eco-friendly, like tax benefits for eco-friendly products and packaging. 

## Corea Climate Youth Advocates

The queen addresses the youth, speaking casually, in an equally casual pose they can relate to. I adore this woman so much. 

> If people got a little bored after the PM’s report, the queen has everyone riveted again with a single look, wearing a blazer we recognize (see 7 Times the Queen of Corea stole our hearts with her smile)

The queen reminds young people that this is an exciting potential for life’s work. 

Her Majesty revealed the new organization, **Corea Climate Youth Advocates**. On CCYA.com, twenty-somethings and below can register and be part of the discussion and activities for climate change reversal. 

I’ve had a look at the website and I was even allowed to register-- yes, even though this author is past twenty-something. Parents are welcome! The website is so fantastically, cleanly designed. Government/palace websites worldwide would do well to employ good web developers like Corea does. 

The forums are already buzzing with threads and threads of ideas and initiatives. It’s amazing! There’s an official pinned thread named _**For The Queen’s Office,**_ with rules posted on how ideas can be submitted for the queen’s patronage. 

This author is amused because another pinned thread is right below _**For The Queen’s Office**_ , entitled _**A Note For Honored Parents.**_

In this thread, The Queen’s Office strongly recommends that concerned parents let the youth come up with and tweak their ideas without interference. 

I can imagine the ahjummas pressing their lips together and holding back. 

This author is also amused because BTS (behind-the-scenes) reels, aside from charming us with this powerful trio’s friendship, also show the king barely letting the queen finish before getting into the shot to help the queen off the bench. We also saw the rare sight of the queen not looking pleased at all. 

Oh dear. 

## The Daesang Medical Group

The next time we see the queen, she has a short interview with Dr Lee Sok-jun about the new Daesang Medical Group. 

**DMG is a new charity initiative of Corea General Hospital. DMG will annually select the best and brightest residents in general surgery across the country, for international surgery missions to countries and patients in need.**

Needless to say, it has the queen’s support. Here’s an excerpt from their 10-minute talk. 

> **Go here for the full interview and coverage on Daesang Medical Group**

HMTQ: What are your criteria for selecting your doctors for the medical missions?

Dr Lee: They have to be excellent in the OR, but they also need very high emotional intelligence. 

HMTQ: I agree. They’re going to be talking to people. They need to be able to listen. 

Dr Lee: Exactly, ma’am. We train our doctors in and out of the OR, but only the best have a good grasp of listening between the lines. 

HMTQ: I haven’t met many doctors, but you and Dr Chae are excellent in addressing both unspoken and spoken panic. 

Dr Lee: You never do panic, Your Majesty. 

HMTQ: I suppose I had training. 

Dr Lee: And often, most panic is very understandable. 

HMTQ: I’ll be the judge of that (jokingly). 

Dr Lee laughed. We know who they’re talking about, and you’ll notice the queen is sitting on a high stool, a seat we doubt the king would have approved. But the queen’s message is clear. 

I am so impressed by this country and so delightfully amused and in love with their royals. I hope we get to speak with Their Majesties again. 


	28. Modern Royals: The queen bares her heart about her new project, her queenship, and the king

  * This author is very honored (and tickled) to be invited to the palace for a private tete-a-tete with the queen 
  * This isn’t exclusive, but I did get a note from The Royal Public Affairs Office that I’m the first in the lineup of the press junket, so yes, I screamed in the powder room
  * Also in the note: As long as I interview the queen about her project, I can ask other questions I want. They’re confident that I would remain respectful of Her Majesty’s privacy. 



Well! They knew how to rein me in, didn’t they? 

The October air was crisp and cold that morning but the thought of meeting the queen warmed me up. We were offered breakfast upon arrival. My team ate. I couldn’t. I was too excited. You remember that I’ve been dreaming of an interview with the queen for ages! 

At eight, we were brought to the interview location. The media room was simple, with zero clutter. The furniture was modern minimalist. The walls were white, the floor-to-ceiling windows were bare. Your eyes were drawn to the lush grounds. 

And it was so warm you could forget it was autumn. Rather than a press junket, the room gave the impression that the queen was meeting you as a friend, invited to relax in that gorgeous room. 

Once there, I discovered I could eat. I drank tea and had some of the best scones I’ve ever had. 

At eight fifteen, the queen arrived in her trademark, understated elegance. Barely any makeup. No lipstick. Hair splendid and shining but unstyled. Her outfit looked like something you wore at home, because of course it might be a palace but it was her home. 

Well, something you wore at home in different brands, unless you’re also upper crust Corean who can afford head-to-toe Chanel, because the queen’s outfit was all Chanel, from her Coco Crush earrings to her suede calfskin and grosgrain mary janes. 

Her Majesty was just lovely. She made us feel like friends. If I weren’t in love with her before, I would certainly have been head over heels then. 

Don’t get me wrong-- the queen is not friendly in that overly familiar style that just manipulates you to respond in the same way. No, the queen simply charms you with her sincerity, despite her obvious shyness. If she asks you a question, she genuinely wants to know the answer-- it’s not just small talk. 

When everything was ready, the queen sat in her chosen chair. We shared a laugh because it’s exactly the type of chair the king didn’t want her to sit on when Their Majesties dropped in on us for his flash interview. 

Without further ado, darlings, here’s my interview with the queen on her new project. 

## Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

The Queen’s project revolves around Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, a day of remembrance for pregnancy loss and infant death, which includes, but is not limited to, miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, and the death of a newborn.

**Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is held on October 15 in several countries. Are we going to have a separate day for it in Corea, Your Majesty?**

**HM The Queen:** I found out about Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day on the same day it was confirmed that I’m pregnant. So we’ve been working on this project for several weeks. I wanted to unveil it on the remembrance day, but I didn’t want that strict deadline on anybody’s head. 

Thankfully, we still managed to be quite close to the Remembrance Day. So we are launching the Eomoni Foundation this year and Corea will join the international Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day next year. 

## The Eomoni Foundation

**Eomoni Foundation is literally “Mother” Foundation. Is it for all mothers in Corea?**

**HM The Queen:** Yes. Mothers do so much, even before the moment they learn they’re expecting a child. When they’re trying to conceive, or when they suspect they’re pregnant and they’re not sure yet if it’s happy or unwelcome news. There’s just so much there, unspoken and unrecognized. Eomoni Foundation stands for everything a mother needs before, during and after pregnancy. 

Because of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, we’ve talked to experts on how to support this often overlooked aspect of becoming a mother. 

Mothers who lose their children during pregnancy or infancy need the most support. So Eomoni Foundation is their safe harbor, where they can come for informational, emotional, medical, and peer support. 

**And the foundation is truly up and running?**

**HM The Queen:** Yes. The helpline is up, the website is live, and Eomoni Foundation has fully-staffed centers in Seoul, Busan, Pyongyang and Hamgyong. Of course, we’re still learning everything, but we have reliable models from other foundations worldwide. The Queen’s Office and the Office of the Prime Minister are both working together to have a Eeomoni Center in every city in Corea.

**What’s your goal for the foundation, short term and long-term?**

**HM The Queen:** We’re in talks with the Ministry of Labor about requiring all private and government businesses and organizations to have training for Infant Loss and Bereavement. I want parents to have company policies and HR that support them. This is both the short and long-term goal, to change policies and laws to support parents in this difficult time. 

**I suppose this is very personal for you, Your Majesty, now that you’re expecting? How has that affected this project you whipped up so quickly?**

**HM The Queen:** Of course, it’s personal. And this is almost never discussed because it’s terrifying, but this is a mother’s biggest fear: to lose her child. It’s very real to me right now-- I can understand that fear and I can imagine the devastation and grief at this visceral level, so I wanted Eomoni Foundation up, and we do have the means to do that. There were no impediments for this project to get on its feet. 

**No superstitions at all that might have cautioned you against it?**

**HM The Queen:** Ahhh yes, there was something said about it, but even the most superstitious understood. I mean, of course I wouldn’t want anything to happen. But not touching this because of that has no logic at all. No one wants to get cancer, and should that mean we couldn’t touch support and research and funds for cancer patients? 

So we pushed through with this, because this is absolutely needed. 

**Congratulations, Your Majesty, this is stupendous.**

**HM The Queen:** Thank you. We had a lot of help. Her Excellency, of course. And Dr Chae. And Elizabeth Locke of the Infant Loss Foundation in the United Kingdom. The Corean Association of Counseling is also offering training specifically for Infant Loss Counseling, under Eomoni Foundation. 

**That’s wonderful. Your Majesty, you’ve had so many projects since becoming queen. It makes my head spin. Do these help with the adjustment from your previous job to this one? Did you have an adjustment period at all? How--what was it like? You’re handling so much, and now you’re also pregnant.**

**HM The Queen:** I’ve been a public servant ever since I became an adult, and my role now just continues that, only on a bigger scale. 

I got married. And my marriage happened to come with a queenship. 

The adjustment period was more on the small “big” things, like people bowing, and not being able to go out and about like I used to, and events where I’m the center of attention instead of being invisible in the background. 

I had to learn the protocol and I had to get used to so many things. I suppose I was already trained for this because a cop should be adaptive. You need to be nimble for every case, every situation, and if you transfer to another station or another department-- or if you even just get promoted--you also need to adjust there. You shouldn’t get comfortable, or be afraid of change. 

**It’s such a huge change, Your Majesty. Do you ever feel regret for what you gave up? Do you ever think of your previous career?**

**HM The Queen:** No. I made my choice and it’s something I don’t regret at all. I do think of my previous job. Who wouldn’t? But even though I loved it, I wasn’t really in a position of influence. 

After becoming queen, I had to wrap my head around the fact that I can do what I want. I’m in this position where I can help and serve people without all the bureaucracy I would have had to go through first. 

Once I’ve done that, I filled pages and pages of notes on everything I could do for Corea. That’s why you’re seeing so many projects. I talk to the Prime Minister a lot. Secretary Mo is also a great advisor. I have a lot to learn if I want to be a working queen. 

The king is supportive, of course. And the king and I have always planned to have a family. So having a baby is just part of everything, too. I went into this with both eyes open and I’m determined to do my best. 

That’s what it’s like. I’m learning, adjusting, asking questions. I do have a lot of help. And for many of my projects, I’m simply a patron. I get it off the ground, I raise funds, the experts do the work. 

**I admire that so much, Your Majesty. Thank you for your candor. I’ve always been curious, what does being patron of these foundations involve?**

**HM The Queen:** It involves signatures and funding for the most part, and support where needed, for both the best developments and any bad circumstances. 

**How are you, ma’am? No more morning sickness? I hope it’s alright to ask that. Everyone’s thinking about you.**

> It’s adorable how the queen refused to touch her baby bump throughout the interview, but often came close to doing so anyway. 

**HM The Queen:** I do still get sick now and then. We’re told this is normal and might go away. Or not. And I thank everyone for their concern. I’m very well taken care of. Sometimes to the point of excess, but I’ve learned to accept some of it, and we’ve all gotten better at it. 

**Can you share something about that, Your Majesty?**

**HM The Queen:** Well, the king is almost back to normal and no longer snaps at Jangmi’s every move. I mean Jang Mi-reuk. And Lady Noh is always giving me tisanes and soups. I’ve told her which ones I like and which ones I absolutely wouldn’t drink, so we’ve all come to an agreement. 

**How is the king? Is he excited-terrified, or excited-impatient?**

**HM The Queen:** I think he tries to be neither. We’re excited, of course, but we try to temper that and just stick to happiness every day. We just savor each day. 

**That is lovely, but also surprising. So you don’t plan for May, for example? No birth plan?**

**HM The Queen:** That’s already done. We got it out of the way on the first days. We don’t dwell on it. We enjoy each new day, each new milestone. 

**So I suppose you have names ready?**

**HM The Queen** : Ahh, I think I’ve been told not to say anything about that. 

**That reminds me of that time Your Majesties dropped by! Can I ask you some of those questions?**

**HM The Queen:** Of course, you can ask me. I just won’t guarantee the answers. 

**I’ve always been curious about that blessing His Majesty mentioned. He said, and I quote, that you “were blessed by God to meet and stay together. God made sure our paths would cross and stay intertwined.” What does this mean?**

**HM The Queen:** That’s exactly what it means. We were fated to meet, and then fate kept us together, as cheesy as that sounds. All our doubts and fears were answered and addressed. 

**That’s just as cryptic as what the king said. Let me capture something non-cryptic at all. The rings you’re wearing right now. They’re the Coco Crush rings. Any significance? We haven’t seen your wedding rings at all.**

**HM The Queen:** My wedding and engagement rings are both very thin bands-- and they don’t fit my fingers right now. These aren’t part of my bridal jewelry. They are gifts from the king. I wear them sometimes when I’m at home. 

> And when he’s not home? When she misses him? The king is currently away on kingly duties to Russia, China, Thailand, and Singapore. 

**First thing that comes to mind: what do you love about the king?**

**HM The Queen:** His dimples. So I guess that’s his smile. The rest of him isn’t bad at all either. You think he’s vain but he’s not. He’s a man of principle. What he said in your interview was right: He does know how to joke in difficult situations. 

> It amazed me that I didn’t become a puddle of goo in that gorgeous media room at that point. Despite her smile and giggling, there was something in the queen’s eyes that told me she’d witnessed a demonstration of the king’s stalwart principle. This queen admires and respects her king in the highest degree. And these two are so in love it’s almost contagious-- no wonder the whole kingdom is in love with their love, too. 

**It’s probably his principles that took him away from you these days?**

**HM The Queen:** Well, these diplomatic visits have been scheduled for months. He comes home from Singapore in a few days. 

**Just in time for the King’s Birthday?**

**HM The Queen:** Hopefully. 

**What is something you adore about the king, something we won’t see or notice at all because we don’t live with him, but something we can watch out for in public appearances?**

**HM The Queen** : If you ever see him pick something up with his right hand, sometimes his pinkie would be sticking out. He hates it when that happens, but it’s not really something he can control.

And laughing at that little detail, our interview came to an end. I feel quite blissful. I don’t know if I’d asked what I’d wanted to ask, but I’m content. 

Stay tuned because we’ll be back at the palace for the king’s birthday! 

For more information about Eomoni Foundation, go here. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------

(Images from Elle Korea interview video. Love that so much.)


	29. Outstanding Royals: The King's Birthday

  * **October 28 is special in Corea. It’s the King’s birthday!**
  * The special day includes a long weekend, with all government offices and private businesses closing Wednesday to Friday every year, no matter what day the King’s Birthday is
  * Businesses do this quite cheerfully, because the paid vacation days for employees on these days come from the Royal Treasury 



  * Well, when you’re as wealthy as the King of Corea, you could certainly pay for three vacation days for the entire country every year
  * The King of Corea has been king since he was eight
  * This country watched him grow up and are entirely in love with how well this king turned out
  * He’s internationally well known for his passion for the fields of math and sciences, and the country’s research and development is currently in its golden age under his rule



  * The NanoStem Institute is the first and only stem cell and nanotechnology center in the world, funded in trillions by the G8, but largely by Corea
  * Hospitals and universities in Corea are also attracting international experts and students, with the rate of international student enrollment spiking to its highest ever at 32% 
  * The king is also a sportsman. He’s a rower and an avid equestrian 
  * He’s the complete package, with the charm to match, and such a lovely wife by his side, too
  * This is the first year that the King would have celebrated his birthday with a queen
  * Alas, he was away on a diplomatic tour to Russia, China, Thailand and Singapore
  * So the small celebration at the palace started without him



**Yes, started, because he arrived by the end!**

The celebration at the palace is, of course, anything but small. The palace grounds opened again to the public, and it was like Queens Day all over again. 

If I ever leave Corea, I think I’ll always make it a point to return in September and October! 

In the afternoon, we were treated to the queen reading the king’s favorite story to kids. _Alice in Wonderland._

She came onstage in a beautiful Zimmerman dress. Not that expensive compared to her other outfits, but still so endearing and elegant on the queen, especially with her hair up in a bun, something we rarely see. Perhaps the queen’s having pregnancy hot flushes? 

A slideshow of the king’s photos suddenly started on stage, and we all recognize these photos! There have been widely circulated in local media: the king being caught watching the queen during her events, or backstage in the monitors. 

## It interrupted the queen’s reading, and she just sat there and teared up while looking at the photos. 

> This is the king caught starry-eyed while the queen spoke to the press about the NanoStem Institute, shortly before he had to leave for Sweden

> Another close-up snap of the king looking enamored while watching the queen on a monitor on her speech during Queens Day

> A soft-looking king in cashmere, waiting for his queen after a gala His Majesty himself didn’t attend

## When this last photo showed up, with the king apparently on the same stage as the queen, the queen needed tissues. 

## Apparently, the king decided to surprise the queen that he had arrived a day earlier than he was expected. 

Cheers! The program pretty much ended after that. The king and queen thanked the people and soon left, of course. 

The ahjummas were all too happy, even flapping at them to go on and leave. And yes, we didn’t take photos of their onstage embrace. It seems to be the accepted and unspoken rule among Corean media, and this author enjoys the favor of the Royal Public Affairs Office too much to attempt to rebel! 

## Happy birthday to one of the youngest and most accomplished leaders in the world. We’re proud of you, Your Majesty! 

Very proud that you surprised your queen in such a sweet way! You are setting standards high for all men in Corea! Well done! 


	30. Outstanding Royals: The King's annual support and promotion for Adoption Awareness Month

  * Two weeks after the Queen of Corea unveiled the Eomoni Foundation, it’s now Eomoni International, with private and government organizations partnering with The Queen’s Office to establish the same centers in other countries
  * Germany, Taiwan, Finland, New Zealand, France, and the UK are among the first to join hands to form Eomoni International, along with giant names in child nutrition and baby care products, like Nestle, Mead Johnson, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble 
  * It’s heartening to see these rival brands uniting for a cause 
  * The queen is currently in the UK, returning a visit from Elizabeth Locke of the Infant Loss Foundation
  * In London, they meet with the rest of the European power women: Finland PM Sanna Marin, Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel, New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern, and France’s former Minister of Health Agnes Buzyn, who will spearhead the foundation in France
  * It’s also exciting that Eomoni is studying to establish international laws for pregnant women seeking sanctuary, whether or not they want to keep their baby
  * Eomoni is making waves and might change the landscape of all things motherhood, including adoption



Speaking of adoption, November is Adoption Awareness Month, and the king reestablished his support and promotion for adoption, as he had done since 2015. 

> The king had “help” from little Yeo Woo-jin, Secretary Mo’s son. Apparently, this little tyke has a close friendship with the king and queen. Yeo Woo-jin served as tiny host for the parties the little lunches the king held for the kids and their guardians and parents

There are three major adoption agencies in Corea-- one of them the state-run Kingdom’s Children. 

In 2015, the King abolished the unspoken but established tradition of many Corean companies of asking applicants about their family. He made it law that education and employment do not ask about a child or an adult’s family. 

Catholic schools usually require the child’s baptismal certificate, but more and more choose to be non-denominational. Corea’s state schools require kids to attend, no family records necessary. Beyond high school, many employers still choose to look at family as a part--or as a shortcut-- for hiring decisions.

> Photo from 2015’s campaign for Promotion of Adoption in Corea

The reason for that is while Corea is largely Christian, with Catholicism as its most predominant religion, the traditions of Confucianism remain. One of those is the importance of ancestors. Family defined or spelled an individual’s merit. 

Understandably, there was taboo on adoption, and Corean children were almost exclusively adopted by parents from other countries. 

> Photo from 2016, the king following up on his campaign with another round of visits

> 2020, the King with the Mayor of Busan’s adopted granddaughters

Corean parents who do adopt often do it in secret, with assistance from discreet companies who help couples fake a pregnancy with sonograms and baby bellies. 

In 2015, the king had sought to change all this, with laws and campaigns with celebrities in support of removing the taboo of adoption. The mayor of Busan’s daughter Kim Byeol and her husband Gong Yoo added to their brood of three children and adopted two sisters. 

Five years on, Corea’s campaign seems to have worked, and the numbers of domestic adoption have steadily increased from 378 in 2015 to an astonishing 1097 in 2020. 

International adoption continues at the same level, if not decreasing while domestic increases. It seems a matter of Corean pride now to take care of their own children. 

2020, the king holding and greeting adopted babies 

It’s heartwarming that this expecting royal mom and dad are so involved with babies these days. 

And I miss the queen! Her Majesty’s return from her European trip is imminent. **Stay tuned!**

  * **For information about the Eomoni Foundation,** **go here for[our interview with the queen. ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24813523/chapters/62253676)**
  * **Our coverage of Eomoni International - go here**
  * **Eomoni Foundation website - go here**
  * **Kingdom’s Children - go here**
  * **Promotion of Adoption in Corea - go here**




	31. The Queen of Corea stuns in London

  * While the king of Corea charmed us and made us melt with his photos with babies, here we have the queen of Corea making us miss her
  * A few photos and information have been released by the Royal Public Affairs Office, quite apart from what’s already been circulating in British and international media
  * And because this author loves the Royal Public Affairs Office and enjoys their favor, this is what we’ll publish. Enjoy, readers!
  * Judging by the crowd you can glimpse in these photos, it looks like the royal watchers in London also enjoyed our favorite queen.



Short note before we proceed: I’m always the first to shout this young queen’s magnificence to the rooftops. See my previous articles. 

But yes, this is a roundup of Her Majesty’s photos, because we also love _looking_ at her! She’s stunning

**November 9**

The queen arrived in London via private jet on at the Farnborough Airport

We always love the queen in a blazer. And those statement earrings! 

**November 10**

The queen’s appearance on the way to brunch with Infant Loss Foundation founder Elizabeth Locke

She’s adorable. That smile. 

**November 10**

Arriving at the meeting with the Infant Loss Foundation of the UK and several women leaders of the modern world for Eomoni International: Finland PM Sanna Marin, Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel, New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern, and France’s former Minister of Health Agnes Buzyn.

**To see our coverage of the Eomoni International first summit, go here**

****

> We don’t know what sorcery is going on either: we do know the queen is fifteen weeks pregnant. 

**November 10**

The Glyndebourne Opera House, East Sussex 

The queen was the guest of honor for the gala performance of Fidelio.

And she had a fringe! I’m so in love with this! 

**November 11**

Informal dinner with Queen of the United Kingdom, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Cambridges

This author loves how sedate the captions from the Royal Public Affairs Office are, although I’m sure they’re just as proud of the queen’s understated elegance. 

Modest sleeves, modest neckline, she ticks everything in the list for meeting the longest-reigning monarch of the modern world, and she still pulls it off with her signature individuality. 

We will update this article as we learn about the designers the queen wore. After her white ensembles of the previous days and evenings, she’s effortlessly stunning in this, the color of royalty. 

While I love these photos, I wish Her Majesty were here. We miss her so much. 

As a treat for you, we spoke with Professor Chae, the queen’s OB. And she confirms that yes, Her Majesty is at fifteen weeks, and yes, she is still currently “small.” 

The doctor assures us everything’s well with the baby. “For first pregnancies and for very fit women like the queen, it’s normal to have small bellies until well into the third trimester.” 

Ahjummas who have been emailing my office after seeing the photos from the _Mirror_ , the _Daily Mail_ and the _Daily Express_ told me we can expect the queen to grow bigger after twenty weeks. 

In full discretion, they’ve told me that before. But I welcome all comments and feedback. 

This author doesn’t really care much, however. I just want the queen back in Corea! And I’m sure someone in the palace agrees with me. 

I’d love to be a bug on the wall when these two are video calling each other. 


	32. A dark day for Corea

  * Friday. November 13. The queen is expected home from London. 
  * Corean media is on alert for the green light from the Royal Public Affairs Office on whether a press junket would be held at the Busan Airport upon the queen’s arrival, at the palace, or deferred completely in favor of released packets
  * But nine a.m. came and went without word, and then Press Secretary Mo herself appeared in every screen in the kingdom at ten am, announcing that the queen was in the hospital after a collision with another vehicle on the way to the palace



I could swear every person in the kingdom stopped breathing-- we certainly did at my office. Secretary Mo, usually so cool and collected, looked like she had only stopped crying, eyes red and swollen, but her voice was steady as she delivered the statement. 

> “The vehicle’s driver is in custody. He is a Corean citizen, 43 years old, from Gijang-gun. From what we’ve gathered so far, this is not an international intrigue.
> 
> “The driver has sustained injuries and is in a medically-induced coma.”
> 
> “The queen is and will be under strict observation until she’s stable. The objective is to make sure both the queen and the baby are not and will not be under distress. 
> 
> “The queen’s injuries won’t be disclosed as a matter of security.
> 
> “Her Majesty’s Unbreakable Sword, Jang Mi-reuk and member of the Royal Guard Park In-Yeong, seated in the front, sustained bruising, superficial cuts, and fractures from impact.
> 
> “The kingdom’s best doctors are attending to the queen and the esteemed members of the Royal Guard, and the king himself is investigating the collision while remaining at the queen’s side. 
> 
> “We request calm, we request prayers, and if you have information on the accident, kindly step forward, call the hotline on the screen, and the Royal Court will be in touch with you. 
> 
> “This is a matter of grave concern for the king, and the palace aims to be swift in exacting justice. Again, we request calm, and please pray for Her Majesty’s good fortune to get past this without harm.”

Our office broke into pandemonium when the briefing ended. 

We did hear an ambulance earlier, but we hadn’t connected it to the queen. Emergency response in Corea is efficient and effective, so we certainly hope it was exactly that when _the queen_ needed it. 

When I wished the queen back in the kingdom, this had never and would never have occurred to me. One of my assistants was coherent enough to look up the queen’s car. 

## The queen’s car

The Mercedes S-Class 2021 is the first vehicle in the world to have airbags for the rear seat passengers. Perhaps that was exactly why it was chosen for the king’s and queen’s cars. 

The model also has a Pre-Safe Impulse Side function system. It uses radar sensors to detect side impact and then deploys air cushions in the seats, moving the passengers toward the center of the vehicle in case of imminent side impact, while simultaneously activating the E-Active Body Control suspension that raises the entire vehicle to divert the impact to the car’s lower structure.

We’ve seen the state of the queen’s car and the collision was a side impact, hitting the rear seat behind the driver’s side. 

From what we’ve seen of her at events, the queen prefers to sit behind the passenger side. At least we hope that was where she was seated. 

And we hope all that pioneering technology in this luxury sedan completely saved both mother and baby. 

Stay tuned for updates. I will echo Secretary Mo’s call for prayers for the queen’s safety. 


	33. Queen in recovery; villain in prison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follows Days and Nights of Forever Part 14: The Heartbeat

Her Majesty giving the media and well-wishers a small but radiant smile before leaving CorGen

  * The queen has been discharged from CorGen and will spend the rest of her recovery in the winter palace in Pyeongchang, along with the king and members of the Royal Guard 
  * This author is weak with relief. I loved writing that headline! The queen is fine. The royal baby is fine
  * Unbreakable Sword Jang Mi-reuk, who bore the brunt of the crash on the left side of the vehicle, will also make a full recovery
  * So will Park In-yeong, the queen’s only female Royal Guard
  * Details on their injuries will not be disclosed. 
  * Both Mr Jang and Miss Park weren’t seen exiting the hospital, precisely so the public won’t know the extent of their injuries
  * We did see the bandage of the queen’s airbag burn on her left cheek (not visible in the photo) and she was using a scarf as a sling which supported her left arm by the wrist (not visible in photo)



While the royal family and the royal guard get some R&R in the mountains, Corea’s justice system is reeling from several moves the king made in serving justice to the man who could have cost us the queen and royal baby

The 43-year-old man from Gijang-gun is Kim Ae-go. 

According to my Corean staff, he’s a notorious drunk. On the evening of November 12, he gatecrashed the Lee-Kim engagement party in Busan, had a “nightcap” at a bar, and then plowed into the queen’s car with blood alcohol concentration so high he should have been catatonic, not driving. 

Circulating police reports now confirm that Kim is also charged with assault and battery for attacking the server in his persistence to get his car key, which had been confiscated according to the bar’s house rules. 

Apparently a menace in Corea’s high society, Kim is also infamous for his acquittal from manslaughter in 2006, when another car crash he orchestrated killed two innocent bystanders aged 17 and 10. 

The king reopened the case. 

Prosecution evidence that had mysteriously disappeared in 2001 and 2006 resurfaced. Witnesses turned up. Kim Ae-go was found guilty of two counts of murder by unanimous jury verdict and sentenced to two counts of life imprisonment, and one count of six months of imprisonment, the (measly) penalty for unknowingly injuring the king or queen. 

In Corea, you are charged with murder if the following are true: 

  * You commit DUI manslaughter and found criminally negligent
  * You are a repeat DUI offender 
  * You have been reprimanded and educated of the dangers of DUI



This was what was controversial in 2006, because instead of being charged with murder, Kim was charged with involuntary manslaughter instead, even with his priors. 

That is all water under the bridge now that Kim Ae-go is finally put away. 

> **For the full report on Kim Ae-go’s crimes, our staff put together a timeline here, with accounts from all the witnesses and victims**

## Statute of limitations removed 

The king also removed the statute of limitations for murder and manslaughter.

Previously, Corea had a rather questionable 25 years statute of limitations for murder and manslaughter, something you didn’t notice or mind in this peaceful country until you realize creatures like Kim Ae-go walked around getting acquitted and waiting for the statute of limitations to apply. 

## Judicial immunity to be reduced?

The king also announced that the Office of the Sovereign Justice (that’s the king) is reviewing cases and is studying legislation where the kingdom’s justices can be disbarred and punished if found negligent of their judicial duty by an appellate court. 

While this is controversial and will probably not become law, the announcement is enough. I bet some judges are quaking in their shoes. The king has taken notice. 

## Kims exiled

Kim Ae-go is the grandson of Kim Ae-ho, and the son of Kim Ae-ro, the now ex-Minister of Finance. Stripped of their ancient family title of Gong (equivalent to duke), both senior Kims and their wives are exiled forever from the kingdom. 

According to the Royal Public Affairs Office, this is voluntary exile, with the king’s sanction. 

Public opinion is favorable about this-- some ahjummas have emailed me details I can’t publish because it’s hearsay, but let’s just say this author is also happy the nonagenarian Kims are being evicted from the kingdom. I did like Minister Kim, however. That’s a shame. 

But I’m sure he takes solace in his daughter. 

## Kim Eun-chae appointed new Minister of Finance

In a stunning turn of events that has the kingdom’s full approval because of her popularity, the king nominated Kim Eun-chae to fill the position of Minister of Finance. The nomination was unanimously assented by Parliament. 

Kim Eun-chae, 46, is the older sister of Kim Ae-go. Unlike her brother, Kim Eun-chae used her family’s influence for good, serving in many committees in the queen’s and Parliament’s charities and projects. She also worked for her father as the ex-minister’s deputy minister of finance. 

Once her term ends, she can run for re-election, and this time she’ll need to be voted into office by the citizens of Corea. 

## Mercedes Benz S-Class 2021 madly popular amongst Coreans

This one’s not stunning at all. After we’ve seen a rather horrifying but still effective demonstration of its collision defense technologies, Mercedes Benz is probably in shock at the high demand for the luxury sedan, not just from Coreans, but from all the royal and presidential (and mob) families of the world. 

And all because this author published it during our panic over the queen. Should we expect royalties? 


	34. Corean Awards Night: Was the queen hidden in plain sight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follows Corea News: Queen in recovery, villain in prison
> 
> Better with:  
> Corea News Corean Awards  
> All the Royal Love Triangle/Gong Shin mentions on Corea News  
> That Bastard, Gong Shin (one-shot, in author's profile)

  * This year, the Corean Awards Ceremony was held in the winter palace in Pyeongchang 
  * Usually held in Gwangyeongjeon Palace in Busan, the awards ceremony relocated to the mountains where the queen is currently recuperating from the car crash that shook all our collective knees on November 13
  * Ahjummas still haven’t recovered and there was talk whether or not the awards ceremony for November 29 would be postponed to a later date
  * But new invitations have not been issued
  * The Royal Public Affairs Office announced instead that the media and nominees are cordially invited to the winter palace for the Corean Awards Ceremony, with every change in transport and accommodation for this to be satisfied by the palace 
  * Who'd complain? 
  * Exclusively televised by the the Corean Broadcasting Service, this humble reporter didn’t really have to do much but enjoy being there



Gyeoulgungjeon, literally “winter palace,” was completed in 1926, a royal gift for the current king’s great grandparents on their wedding. It served as a recovery hospital during World War II. 

Security protocol doesn’t allow me to post photos of the palace, and you’ll find no aerial shots of it anywhere. For international readers who haven’t seen the televised broadcast, you can look at the Pillnitz palaces in Dresden so you have an idea of what Gyeoulgungjeon looks like, nestled in the snow-covered slopes of Pyeongchang. 

  


> Gyeoulgungjeon has the same Baroque style, though more gracefully situated in the mountains, with a charming rustic landscaping to match the scenery rather than Versailles-formality

The Corean Awards Ceremony was both luxurious and casual. It was black tie, and almost all the men were in tuxes, but the king himself wore a simple black suit and tie rather than any of his grander uniforms and coats. 

We were seated in round tables with glittering candelabra. The banquet hall left plenty of space for camaraderie, and people were on their feet, switching tables, and mingling in a friendly atmosphere. It was an evening among colleagues and the best people in the fields honored in the Corean Awards, but there were no huge egos walking around. It was delightful. 

We were served delicious makgeolli, which I’ve been told was made right there in the winter palace. Aside from the sumptuous Corean and continental buffet, I also had a whole year’s serving of carbs in irresistible hotteok and bindaetteok. Gods. 

##  **The new Corean Laureate in Medicine: Chae Song-Eun Seonsaengnim**

We’ve mentioned before that more than half of the nominees were under 50. Many of them won. Every Corean Award winner was decided by the most renowned in their respective fields around the world. 

> **Go here for our coverage of the Corean Awards Winners**

  


Dr Chae Song-eun, the queen’s OB, won the Corean Award in Medicine for her pioneering work in in-utero surgery. The award was presented by Dr. Fouad M. Abbas, one of the top doctors of the world specializing in oncology and obstetrics-- one of the judges of Corean Award in Medicine, and among the special guests that night. 

In her speech, Dr Chae announced the prize money of 2 billion won is going to Daesang Medical Group, to support international surgery missions to countries and patients in need. 

DMG has the queen as patroness, and is headed by Dr Chae's husband, CorGen Chief of General Surgery, Dr Lee Sok-jun. 

> **Dr Lee Sok-jun: “I’m very proud of her. But then she always amazes me every day. This is nothing new.”**

Congratulations, Dr Chae! On your Corean Award and your husband! 

##  **Confirmed: The Prime Minister has been staying in the winter palace**

Rumors have been circulating, of course, because the PM is supposed to be in Seoul but she hasn’t been there. She wasn’t in Cheongwadae either. 

We can now confirm: The PM has been working from the winter palace for the past week.

This too-close tie between the palace and the government has drawn some raised eyebrows from the international press (and some local dissidents from the Jinsun Party, but no one listens to the parties). Within the kingdom, however, it’s just an accepted and beloved fact that the queen and the prime minister are friends. 

They work together to the benefit of the kingdom, and these two are always in lists of the most powerful, most admired women of the world. 

The PM worked closely with the king and queen at the palace. It seems Their Majesties are tying up loose ends for the year and for the next, with the PM expected to take over some diplomatic duties until well into July next year. 

> While we weren’t able to get a comment from Her Excellency, we did see her power walking in one of the palace’s service halls in her half-tux, half-tartan skirt outfit. Hmm. Not crazy about it, but not too bad either. 

After flashing that mischievous grin like the proverbial cat with the canary, she was both friendly and curt, and we didn’t press her. She did tell us she was leaving after the Ceremony. 

I would love to be a bug on the wall for the past week. I want to know the dynamics between those three! 

Speaking of three…

##  **The royal love triangle was together again-- well, minus the queen**

Part of the fun and anticipation of the Corean Awards was seeing Gong Shin and his blatant crush on the queen. 

> My assistant was shaking too much when she took the photo for this to turn out any good, and we’ve enhanced it as much as we could.

We met him on the way to Pyeongchang, and the Corean star was all smiles, saying he was looking forward to the evening with Their Majesties, and he was really glad the queen was well. 

I was quite sad for him that night. 

Before the sun went down, we were treated to the sight of the king arriving amid the Royal Guard. 

No queen until evening fell and the lamps lit up the palace. Shortly before the ceremony started, it was announced the queen was not attending. 

You’ve all seen this photo of Gong Shin with a flute of champagne in what looks like a dressing room in Gyeoulgungjeon. His expression does look a little forlorn.

Ahjummas are speculating it’s because he was disappointed about not seeing the queen. 

Now we have these low quality photos of the king, in a different room, in a different suit, with a different expression, looking rather amused and gleeful. And we know very few people who can make the king look so happy. 

The same ahjummas awww-ing over Gong Shin awww-ed over this, and speculate that the queen had entered that opulent room, or maybe the king had been told something good? 

The king seemed in good spirits during the evening. We have this breathtaking photo from the Royal Public Affairs Office, of the king now in the suit and tie he’d worn that evening. 

> I feel like we've published the same photo before, but it's not the king's fault he looks the same bright eyed happy king he always does, is it. 

And along with that photograph, we received one other: 

> Her Majesty the Queen, Corean Awards Ceremony, Gyeoulgungjeon

The label is succinct as always. So it looks like the queen did attend the Awards! We don’t know how they’ve managed to hide the queen, but the palace can be terrifyingly efficient like that. I’m just glad to see her even in this photograph. 

And of course it’s her right to watch without being obligated to present an award or be there for the guests. It’s Her Majesty’s prerogative. And perhaps Gong Shin is smiling at the discovery that the queen saw him present the award for the Corean Award in Film, yes? 

The Royal Public Affairs Office assures us the queen continues to mend. She will still be in a sling for another 2 to 4 weeks, and she has started therapy. I’m sure the queen is snug and absolutely getting the royal treatment-- pun intended. 

Now if only the Royal Public Affairs Office could add something to their labels to elucidate why the queen was hidden away, hmm? 

Ahjummas have weighed in on this, and said it was perhaps the old tradition of keeping the expecting mom away from the public as she goes past the first trimester, to protect her from jealous bad spirits. 

After that car crash, I can get behind that!

Stay safe, Your Majesty!   
Stay tuned, dear reader. 

With thanks to [@ms-interpretation](https://ms-interpretation.tumblr.com/) for the screenshot of the king and the Royal Guard. :) 

If I added a watermark on a photo, it means I did some hard work on it that ate time, so the conceit of adding a watermark. Argh. Lol.


	35. Royal Saddle: The King's Horse, Lady Maximus, triumphant with three world medals

  * When the queen went to London in October, Lady Maximus was with her
  * “Lady Maximus” still makes this author giggle, but that’s her name, and the Royal Public Affairs Office hasn’t released her full purebred name
  * The Andalusian PRE (Pura Raza Española) once competed in The Royal Ascot in the Queen Anne’s Stakes and has a standing invitation with His Majesty, but we all know June was busy and full for Corea’s top equestrian. After all, His Majesty married Her Majesty in July
  * Lady Maximus has stopped racing, but still competes in the FEI (Fédération Équestre Internationale) dressage events with her European handlers 
  * In our collective conniption over the queen’s accident, we’ve nearly forgotten about Lady Maximus, but she has arrived back in the kingdom to remind us that she’s a queen herself! 



She won dressage at the SsangYong Blenheim Horse Trials and the British Vaulting Championships. From England, Lady Maximus flew to Japan and won gold in the Para-Equestrian Dressage in the recently postponed but now concluded Paralympic Games. 

> **Go here for our coverage on the Paralympic Games and Corea’s medals  
>  Go here for our profile on Lady Maximus’s Paralympic Games equestrienne, Choi Myun-hee**

We are so proud of you Lady Maximus! 

The Royal Public Affairs Office released a low-resolution but magnificent photograph of Her Majesty just loving Lady Maximus. 

The white room and the low resolution mean this was for a photoshoot and the photo is now owned by another organization. We’ll update this once we get our hands on that photo! 

The queen is wearing Chanel Fall/Winter 2020 Collection Tweed Ecru coat, US$14,500. 

This photo was obviously before her accident, because Her Majesty is still recovering from an undisclosed injury that has her left arm in a sling. 

Here’s the King meeting the Lady Maximus for a short ride in Gwangyeongjeon’s riding grounds before both horse and master went back to the winter palace, where the queen is waiting. 

She wouldn’t wait long at all, would she? 

NOTES:   
\- Short update inspired by my spazzing over the upcoming October issue of Marie Claire Korea, photos released today by KGE herself @/ggonekim on IG

\- Corea Fiction coming up :) 

\- Choi Myun-hee is from **Healer** (K-drama)


End file.
